I just received a Facebook invitation to a forum, Thursday 2/17, on illegal immigrants here at Northwestern.  The event’s description is as follows:

This community action forum is being held to discuss the commonly used phrase “illegal immigrants” and the struggles that undocumented students face at NU.

We will be forming workgroups to continue working towards obtaining more rights for undocumented students at NU. We want Northwestern to recognize undocumented students and provide protections for them as well as financial aid, so that other undocumented students can apply to NU without the worry of financial inability.

Please join us for this discussion and learn how you can help us work with administrators at NU to make this possible!

Any questions can be directed to [redacted]

Also, read the article In Focus: Undocumented at Northwestern

Students push to make it easier for illegal immigrants to attend NU published yesterday in The Daily Northwestern to learn more about the background leading up to this event.

I can only surmise by the first paragraph that the individuals holding the forum will label the term “illegal immigrant” as offensive.  The following text suggests that in lieu of “illegal”, “undocumented” will be used.

This (whether or not they take such steps) is part of a larger trend towards ignoring the illegality of illegal immigrants.  Use of the word “undocumented” simply ignores the clear fact that illegal immigrants have broken the law.

This forum is attempting to grant privileges to individuals who are here illegally.  Northwestern University should not promote any policy that supports violations of this country’s laws.  It is wholly unbecoming of a respectable institution of higher education to assist those who break the law.

Whether or not you believe the current immigration situation is unfair does not change the legality of the matter: residing in this country without proper documentation is against the law.  Illegal students are part of a larger issue including illegal workers, drug cartels, and human traffickers.

Before someone comments that I’m calling illegal students drug lords, I’m simply saying that allowing one class of illegal immigrants to enter the country allows the rest as well.  There’s no checkpoint at the border that permits illegal students to enter but stops dangerous individuals from crossing.  These problematic individuals cannot be stopped until all illegal immigration ends.

For those of you doubting there’s a real problem, an ICE worker was killed on Tuesday as part of the growing drug cartel problem in Mexico.  Mexico is a prominent example, but illegal immigration from elsewhere causes a host of problems as well.

Terrorists have, on many occasions, abused our lax immigration laws (this report deals primarily with immigration violators from the Middle East).  Immigration law enforcement could have put a serious damper on – or even stopped altogether – the 9/11 attacks.

Again, aiding and abetting one class of illegal immigrants gives credence to the rest.  Moreover, it severely hurts those who attempt to go through the proper immigration channels.

Those who live in this country illegally skew statistics that could otherwise allow more legal immigrants in.  By taking up jobs and positions as students without documentation, illegal immigrants reduce the available space for those who wish to apply for work or student visas, respectively.

Those who are brought into the United States as children have an unfortunate situation – as they grow up illegally.  This, however, does not change the fact that they become responsible for their immigration status as they reach adulthood.

Families that choose to bring their children into the country illegally understand there are hardships associated with choosing to subvert the law.  Not receiving aid is one of the consequences.

Providing financial aid to illegal students is incentivizing the institution of illegal immigration.  Doing so actively hurts those that choose to work with the law.  Again, Northwestern should under no circumstances engage in such a practice.

If the student body wants to see a change, call your Congressmen and work towards legislation that will allow more individuals to enter this country legally.  Until the widespread support for illegal immigration stops, the many detriments that accompany a negligent immigration policy will continue to exist.

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