October 21,
2002
Tom Tancredo is
not the first to persecute children
hoping to gain the White House.
By Patrick Osio,
Jr.
A man and his wife
walk into a bank. She’s carrying
their 2-year old daughter, he’s
holding their 4-year old son’s hand.
Approaching a teller, he hands her a note
–“Fill the bag with money,”
which the mother hands her. The teller
complies. The four leave the bank.
Question – when apprehended should
the 2 and 4 year old -children be tried
as adults?
As ridiculous as it
sounds, this is the same logic
Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado uses
to persecute children of illegal
immigrants: The children accompanied the
parents to the scene of the crime (the
US); they are accomplices because they
did nothing to stop the crime (illegal
border crossing): live in hiding; eluded
authorities, and part of the stolen money
(parents earning from work) was used for
their benefit, e.g. food.
Well, if this still
doesn’t make sense because since
they are children, they had no control or
understanding of what was occurring, so
should not be referred to or treated as
criminals – why then are children
brought to the US referred to as illegal
immigrants? Of what crime are they
guilty? Why does Tancredo and others of
his breed persecute them? Since when in Americadid
we start punishing children for the
crimes of their parents?
Tancredo has
replaced Pete Wilson as the new
Republican darling of the
anti-immigration movement in the US. He
begs the nation simply see one item
– “what part of illegal do you
not understand?” is the mantra. Only
illegal entrants are guilty – not
those who hire them (such as himself and
Wilson before him); not those who exploit
them, such as the contractor Tancredo
hired.
California’s
Pete Wilson during his 1994 reelection
campaign for governor found himself
seriously behind in polls due to the
disastrous economic conditions facing the
state. To gain reelection, Wilson
attacked with vigor illegal immigrants as
the cause of California’s ills. He
championed Proposition 187, which among
other things, called for the expulsion of
children from school if their mother was
illegally in the US.
The Tancredo/Wilson
thinking is anchored in the simple
premise that illegal immigration is
wrong. People of reason cannot or should
not argue against this simple premise.
Polls in 1993 indicated the overwhelming
majority of Californians including a
Latinos, opposed illegal immigration.
This is right and the way it should be.
Fortifying
themselves with this truism, Wilson then
as now Tancredo, introduce heinous anti
human rights ideas into the debate. The
worst is the idea that we as a nation
should persecute children to get to the
parents.
The Immigration Reform
and Control Actof 1986 (IRCA commonly
referred to as the 1986 Amnesty) was
enacted while Pete Wilson was a US
Senator. The Act called for
sanctions against US companies/citizens
hiring illegal immigrants. Some of Wilson’s
major political financial contributors
came from the agricultural sector, as a
group the biggest employers of illegal
immigrants. Wilson introduced an
amendment to IRCA prohibiting the INS
from entering agricultural fields to
check workers documents, allowing hiring
practices to continue.
Additionally, during
his governor’s reelection campaign
it was disclosed that the Wilson’s
had hired an illegal immigrant
housekeeper. He denied knowledge, passing
the buck to his first wife. He finally
admitted to it, when his ex-wife and the
former housekeeper said he knew.
Likewise Tancredo
hired a general contractor remodeling his
Colorado home that was found employing
illegal immigrants. Tancredo pleaded
ignorance – how was he supposed to
know? The excuse is no different than
those put forth by farmers, et al, who
hire illegal immigrants – none of
them know. Employers are required to have
employees fill out a form (I-9)
certifying employment eligibility. A
smart homeowner requests a contractor be
licensed, have workmen’s
compensation and liability insurance
– how difficult is it to request
copies of the I-9, particularly when your
name is Tom Tancredo.
Congressman Tancredo
to win his Congressional seat sought and
received the aid of the US Term Limits
Foundation, pledging to not seek more
than three terms. He has now broken that
pledge because as Common Sense author,
Paul Jacobs, wrote: “Tom Tancredo
justifies his broken word because he sees
himself in a position of leadership on
the issue of immigration. He writes,
"There are groups in Oregon and California
who're distributing 'Tancredo for
President' bumper stickers!"
Wilson
and Tancredo have much in common –
they preach what they do not practice,
their word is worth little, they believe
persecuting children is the road to the
White House – in the end they’re
an American tragedy.
Patrick Osio, Jr. is
the Editor of HispanicVista.com. He may
be contacted at hispanicvista@cox.net
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