Interview on Immigration

Hello!
In an earlier post I mentioned I was going to interview my Mom, an officer of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), on the current immigration issue. What follows are the questions I asked and summarised answers, of course for security reasons I will give no names.

1. What are your current views on the current illegal immigration issue?
- It is a big problem and has actually been so for many years, since the sixties and beyond in fact. This issue has also been growing and growing, with no signs of slowing down. There has always been lots of talk, yet very little action done on the parts of our leadership, and what little action has been taken is half-hearted and temporal to say the least.

2. How do you think the problem of illegal immigration should be handled?
- With compassion, yet firmness, the law should be upheld, but no one should be mistreated or wronged. What needs to be addressed along with the illegals who are here is WHY they are here. America needs to look to the source of the problem and find out why so many risk life and limb to come here. However there needs to be firmness, the laws must be drawn and the loopholes eliminated. We need to find a way to encourage gaining citizenship the legal way.

3. Do you agree with the way the current administration is dealing with this issue?
- Not at all, the current administration seems bent on ignoring the problem and providing excuses and temporal solutions. This administration is not looking at the bigger picture and is not focusing on why these people try to come here, and they are certainly not showing any compassion to Mexico or South America.

4. How big do you think the problem is?
- A very large problem, illegal immigration hurts everyone, especially American Citizens! Those who come over here illegally will not be paying taxes, yet their children will be going to our schools, and what happens when these illegals get older? Tax payer's dollars will be keeping their healthcare online, not to mention a host of other problems such as insurance, jobs, higher crime rate, and population increase.

5. What does your profession have to do with regulating illegal immigration?
- The Department of Homeland Security employs many different agencies, such as TSA, to regulate immigration and national security. TSA is not in place specifically for illegal immigration prevention and sees many illegals come through every day with no evidence to convict them. However if an individual is pulled aside for suspicious activity and is found to be an illegal he or she is turned over to the proper authorities. The system is deeply flawed however, as many illegals walk through in plain sight and yet nothing can be done to send them home without proof, and they will be back anyway.

6. In your opinion is this issue the largest problem facing America today?
- Not the largest issue, but certainly in the top 4, eclipsed only by education, healthcare, and enviromental issues. America has many domestic and global issues on its plate currently and none of them are going anywhere soon, and immigration is one of those issues politicians need to address for the good of all.

Well that was it, a view on some immigration issues and my Mom's opinions and experiences with them. Remember my Mom's answers were summarised by myself, to get the general idea of the topic. Thank you for reading and I look forward to future discussions.

CHEERS!
-MC