We Don't Want the Chicken to Cross the Road

Thorton, James "Ati-Illegal Immigration Laws Would Benefit Society." Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Mary Williams. Greenhaven Press, 2004. 113-118. Print.

Preview this book

James Thorton believes that anti-illegal immigration laws would benefit society. “Providing public benefits to these illegals is extremely costly; Proposition 187 will allow legal residents and citizens to take control of their lives by diminishing the aliens’ averse impact on society and the economy.” He states the outrageous number of immigrants that enter California every day. He says that taxpayers of California paid $3.6 billion per year. Thorton believes they are a danger to the citizens in California because, “60 percent of homicides, and 80 percent of drug-related crimes are traced to illegals and foreigners.” In his opinion illegals are potentially harming voting results because, “Investigators are discovering that many non-citizens are registered and voting in American elections.” He stands behind Proposition 187 and believes it is the answer to America’s problems. “Proposition 187 represents a potential turning point for our beloved country and it is proof that a few determined, patriotic citizens can stand up to cowardly politicians an public official to change the course of history.” Thorton’s opinion backs up everything that Proposition 187 stands for and potentially prevents.

Even if the Proposition was set aside for being unconstitutional, it is important that Thorton writes about it. This important piece of forgotten legislation potentially has the power to arise again if the support is present. This article is highly opinionated and is loaded with lots of statistics that really help the readers for there own opinion. “Health care for illegals in Los Angeles alone, one of the areas most heavily impacted by the immigration invasion, cost $203.1 million in 1992 and continues to escalate extremely every year.” Personal one question that comes to mind after reading this article is, “Do I feel sorry for someone who commits so much crime in my home country and costs me so much?” Thorton’s purpose is to make his readers think just as I did when responding to his article. He writes, “The reality is that illegals have chosen to live outside the law, so in turn they should choose to live outside American luxury resources.” In the same sense, if they choose to live outside the law, aren’t they choosing to take a risk? Readers may relate this risk to the hazard immigrants face when choosing to cross the Arizona/Mexico desert.