OPINION:
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” These truly great words by Emma Lazarus are inscribed on the base of the Statute of Liberty. They still reflect the national sentiment of the United States toward immigrants. But they neither say nor imply that immigrants should come all at once. Logic and common sense dictate a measured flow.
The sheer administrative time lag in processing and vetting the huge masses of new arrivals argues against the onslaught we see at our southern border today. That delay also means we must house, feed and provide medical care for these masses for extended periods — but this is neither a simple nor an inexpensive matter. These people are primarily fleeing from poor economic situations, but there are not many unskilled jobs available here.
There are those on the far left who argue that we should enter and change the economic situations and violent organized criminal activities in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. This is what’s known as nation building. When has the United States ever been successful in nation building? Afghanistan? No. Iraq? Also no. It is worthwhile to remember that the “occupation” of Nicaragua and interference with its internal affairs by the United States in the years from 1909 to 1933 (some have it as 1910 to 1932) has left a lingering bitter taste in the nations of Central and South America.
This is a job for diplomacy and international arm twisting. We must not get physically involved on the ground in any of those nations.
MAJ. JAMES M. DORN
Special Forces, U.S. Air Force
Chino Hills, Calif.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.