In case you missed the news over the weekend, two Texas valedictorians took a courageous stand by announcing their status as undocumented immigrants and decrying American immigration law in conjunction with their respective graduation ceremonies.

Unfortunately for the law-abiding public, the actions of Mayte Lara Ibarra and Larissa Martinez do not exemplify moral courage in that they stood for something that was right and just.  While the two are most certainly here thanks to the actions of adults, it is an affront to a nation of laws to openly boast about taking advantage of its porous immigration system and taxpayer-funded institutions in such an arena. 

The media claims that to support the enforcement of our immigration laws is to support the tearing apart of families and deny those in pursuit of a “better way of life” such a goal.  If immigration law is not to be enforced, then why should we enforce laws against robbery?  Does someone who robs a home not do so for a “better way of life”?  Jailing this person would also break up families. 

The stories of entitlement, perceived victimhood, and boastfulness like those seen in Texas tell of a nation tired of being expected to suspend its laws for the benefit of a select few with a political agenda in mind. 

People flee Central America and Mexico because the rampant corruption and lawlessness make those places unlivable.  If the first act of someone coming to the United States is to enter the country illegally, then what exactly is different about that picture from the one this person is stepping out of?  We have borders, or we don’t.  We have immigration law, or we don’t.  Those in Ms. Martinez’s audience who should have been most offended were the legal immigrants, who I suppose were not part of the ovation she received.

Those opposed to the constant stream of illegal immigration need to challenge proponents of it to give you a number that is acceptable.  According to Roy Beck, more than 3 billion people, including more than 100 million from Latin American nations, make less than two dollars per day.  Should the wealthiest country in the history of the world be morally responsible for sheltering, clothing, and caring for more than 40 percent of the world’s population because they want a “better life,” regardless of the impact on American citizens and taxpayer-funded government programs?  When you combine these numbers with the adverse effects of illegal immigration on low-income minority communities, you have all of the information needed to silence the machine that does nothing but cry “bigotry.”  It is time to stop being a punching bag and strike back with facts and logic.