If I had been in town last weekend I would have attended a U.S. citizenship and naturalization ceremony at Mills Park in support of 14 new American citizens who opted to follow our immigration laws as opposed to those who break the law by sneaking into the U.S. across our porous borders.
The Nevada Appeal's Sandi Hoover reported that 14 legal immigrants received their citizenship papers in an emotional ceremony at the opening of the annual Carson City Rendezvous on Saturday. "This is one of the greatest days of my life other than when I saw my son and daughter born," said 52-year-old Manuel Angel Leon of Fallon, who fled Cuba many years ago. This is how newly minted American citizens feel about their adopted country, a stark contrast to those who live illegally in the shadows and refuse to learn our language.
In order to earn U.S. citizenship legal immigrants must study our Constitution and learn English. That's what my late wife Consuelo, a native of Mexico, did when she became an American citizen in 1967 before going on to represent her new country overseas for nearly 30 years. Although she retained her Mexican customs and heritage, she was a proud American for the rest of her life.
Consuelo was an immigration success story and I'm writing for her when I deplore illegal immigration, as she did, and oppose so-called "comprehensive immigration reform," which would grant conditional amnesty to more than 10 million illegals. No matter how illegal immigration advocates try to deny the sordid reality of conditions along the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly in Arizona, the facts are indisputable. Violence is up along the border and vicious Mexican drug cartels are now trafficking in illegal immigrants by recruiting them as drug "mules."
Politicians on both sides of the border who speak wistfully about "open borders" and glamorize illegal immigration are living in a fantasy world. Remember that when liberal politicians see 10 million illegals they see that many potential voters, and the unscrupulous businessmen who hire them and pay them less than minimum wages with no benefits are equally guilty of gaming the system. Forget that "undocumented worker" nonsense. Undocumented = illegal.
During the recent Carson City citizenship ceremony, Ms. Hoover reported that many of the new citizens "wiped tears from their cheeks as they saluted the flag, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem." She painted an inspiring and uplifting word picture of the event, and I'm sorry that I missed it. At the same time I congratulate our newest citizens and urge them to participate in the life of the community.
• Guy W. Farmer, of Carson City, has followed immigration issues for many years.