Heather MacDonald, writer for The National Review and City Journal, writes about "post-modern rights" of illegal aliens:
"With last month's mass demonstrations of illegal aliens, the United States has entered the era of postmodern rights. The protesters looked like conventional rights demonstrators, with their raised fists, chants, and banners. But unlike political protesters of the past, the illegal-alien marchers invoked no legal basis for their claims. Their argument boils down to: "We are here, therefore we have a right to the immigration status we desire." "
"The consequences of this novel argument are not insignificant: the demise of nation-states and of the rule of law. Remember: The only basis for the illegals' demands is: "I am here." ....In one stroke, the border-breaking lobby has nullified the entire edifice of American immigration law and with it, sovereignty itself. .... In other words, the United States has no right to decide who may come across its borders and what legal status an alien may obtain upon arrival. Those decisions remain solely the prerogative of the alien himself. The border no longer exists....The illegals are claiming rights to which by law they have no right and for which they can make no legal argument whatsoever. If their movement succeeds, it will not be possible to deny any future rights claims in any sphere of life or activity."
Over at City Journal, MacDonald asks "What would Mexico do with Protesting Illegals?" She answers with some evidence that Mexico would deport them on the spot. She also looks into Mexico's immigration policy, which "grants preferences to scientists and other professionals likely to contribute to national progress." How does Mexico treat the thousands of impoverished Central Americans crossing into Mexico? They are egregiously victimized, according to this Center for Immigration Studies report and this AP article. Nope, sorry, we do not have to accept millions of illegal aliens streaming into the southwest. Nor do we have to take lectures from Presidente Vincente Fox about the "rights" of Mexicans illegally crossing into the U.S.
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