NOVEMBER 13, 2007 - Let's stop illegals from getting Maine licenses
By Dean Scontras
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I imagine most people arrive at an opinion on immigration the same way I have – through the personal experience of my family. While today’s news reports are full of accounts of people streaming across the border, taking jobs illegally, receiving all the social services that our generous nation has to offer, all the while indignantly maintaining their sense of nationalist zeal, it was not that way for my grandparents.
This modern immigration phenomenon is radically different than the modesty of the immigrant class of the early 1900s. The manner by which they arrived was humble. They displayed an eagerness to become Americans, to learn the language and customs, and to take part in the building of the American Dream. As I tell it on the stump, my grandfather came here legally, learned the language, opened a business and raised a family. Three generations later I am running for the United States Congress. I stand proudly upon the shoulders of my ancestors, who navigated the legal channels established for all people, from all lands, who wish to become American citizens.
Much can be learned from the immigrant class of my ancestors and their European counterparts. They set aside their nationalism in the interest of freedom and democracy. They did not abandon their heritage, nor were they expected to. They simply acknowledged that in their quest to make the land of opportunity their new home, they needed to become Americans.
The Greeks are very proud of their heritage. Yet my grandparents understood with humility the honor that accompanies the freedom inherent in being an American. As my grandmother used to say in her broken English, “America is the greatest country in the world.”
Freedom comes at great cost. Many have died protecting the freedoms that Americans cherish; still more have earned it by following the path to citizenship. So why reinvent the wheel? Why continue to legislate by exception and with exceptions? We have accepted immigrants here legally for over 100 years. I hope we continue to accept freedom-seeking people from the world over for many more years, legally. We risk diminishing the value of our freedom if we start giving it away for free. We have laws on the books. Let’s enforce them.
I strongly encourage you to look at the plan presented on presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's website Any plan, prior to earning my support, must first secure our borders, deny any form of amnesty, and crack down on sanctuary cities and sanctuary states, such as Maine has become. We must take back our country for those who are here legally. No open borders, no amnesty, no sanctuary, no false Social Security numbers, no driver's licenses for illegals.
Incorporating critical components like securing our borders first, no provision of amnesty, and a thorough certification program conducted through the creation of what I call "Ellis Island 2.0" centers, the Scontras plan is both sound, safe and sensitive to the humanity involved.
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