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Solid steps
Published 8/2/2010 in Commentary : Editorial
While Republican candidates for the First District Congressional seat claim they have the answers on immigration — yet haven't offered one realistic plan — the Democratic candidate has let his actions speak louder than words.
Alan Jilka, the Salina Democrat running unopposed in Tuesday's primary, recently returned from a trip to the United States-Mexico border.
While there, Jilka visited with local and federal officials to discuss border security. The trip was planned after Jilka reached out to Juarez, Mexico, Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz, a fellow Notre Dame alumnus.
Amid all the annoying campaign chatter from Republicans, Jilka made a commitment to investigate the problem in person.
In seeing what's happening at the border, Jilka described a heartbreaking situation that resembled a war zone with significant drug-related violence.
At the same time, Jilka also reported that in American cities where immigrants seek refuge, reports of escalating violence have been inaccurate. El Paso, for example, was described as one of the safer cities in the nation with just one reported murder last year.
Juarez, meanwhile, had more than 3,000 murders.
That said, Jilka understands the need to secure the border. The former Salina mayor knows comprehensive immigration reform — stepped-up border control along with a program for those here illegally to face sanctions yet have a way to legal status — remains the best way to protect citizens and the economy.
And immigration is indeed an economic issue, starting with a U.S. demand for labor.
As Jilka notes, any legislation also must take into consideration the more than $53 billion in trade at the Juarez-El Paso border crossing alone, making it necessary to maintain the border as an open trade zone.
His observations have brought more to the issue than those of all GOP candidates combined, who only rant about "illegals" and accuse one another of being too soft on immigration.
Jilka's experience would help him work in Congress toward realistic solutions needed to fix the nation's broken immigration system.
How refreshing it would be for the winner of the GOP primary to cut the campaign rhetoric, and follow Jilka's lead in doing something constructive.
Found 2 comment(s)!
Republican for Jilka
I am a staunch Republican, but heard Jilka talk at an event and spoke to him in person. He would be a great Congressional Representative and he has my vote now.
Posted by: Mark on 8/7/2010
That sounds all well and good but...
This commentary about Jilka going to the border and researching things with the officers is great and I don't doubt that he is doing what he said he would do. But, immigration is a very large problem in the country and right here in Garden City America. When I go to work, I have to call over people who speak Spanish because I can't communicate with a good portion of the people I deal with. I don't want to get into a Republican vs Democrat debate but your comment kind of started that way. Here is the big "but" and question I have, if immigration reform is ever so important to the people of the democratic party, why are they trying so hard to shut down the immigration law from Arizona? On that subject, yes, I have read the law and no, I don't think it is necessarily an issue that Arizona thinks the Fed isn't doing their part so they are going to take it on themselves. Arizona's movement for that is because the Fed won't do it themselves and they have a bigger immigration issue in that state than you could imagine. They are a border state with thousands of miles of nothing coupled with a few metropolitan areas. Which brings me to my second question related to the first, if a state comes to the conclusion that a problem is bigger than the Fed is willing or able to handle, why is it a problem for said state to take it upon themselves to handle it such as immigration law?
Posted by: Joe Citizen on 8/4/2010