Apparently there were some pretty big doin's down in the land of the Delta Monday and I think that Mississippi is going to get a reputation for dealing with illegal immigration in a pretty harsh way.

What's the message?

If you're an illegal immigrant, you are not welcomed in Mississippi.

On Monday, August 25th, there was a raid by ICE which bagged 350 illegal immigrants and I think they're going to find out that Mississippi's marketing slogan, "It's like coming home" just doesn't apply if you're in this country illegally.

Recently, Mississippi passed a new law that makes it a crime to accept a job in the state if you are an illegal immigrant and, if you are caught you don't get bail since many illigal immigrants once caught, are never seen again.

The new law aimed at dealing with illegal immigration mandates that employers conduct verification checks of all employees and subjects undocumented employees as well as employers who do not comply to harsh sanctions. The arrested workers now face not only deportation but the real possibility of criminal prosecution.

The new law makes working in the state of Mississippi while undocumented a felony and calls for "imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than one (1) year nor more than five (5) years, a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or both. Anyone charged with the crime of working without papers will not beeligible for bail."

OUCH!

Of course, there are cries of "racisim" and "families being torn apart", but I'm not as concerned with that as much as others are-I'm concerned with what ICE had to say about the matter:

The raid was executed based on "evidence relating to aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers and other crimes, as well as a civil search warrant for individuals illegally in the United States,"

Apparently, these "hard working" people are also stealing the identity of U.S. Citizens, illegally using Social Security numbers for tax purposes as well as being in the country illegally. Since the Federal Government doesn't have the political willpower to come up with a definitive solution-one that the American people will accept, is it wrong of the states to pick up where the Fed's leave off?

I don't thnk so.

Back when Congress mandated a 55mph speed limit, the states were allowed to enforce it and keep the money. The speed limit was a federal law, the states enforced it, so why can't the states also do something about the problem of illegal immigration? Afterall, in many cases it is the state and local governent that has to deal with the problems that illegal immigration causes. 

The argument of "They're (the illegals) are paying taxes!" doesn't wash, just look at the problems it caused Air-Force Veteren Marcos Miranda. Sure, they're paying taxes-or rather the REAL Marcos is being expected to pay taxes and even a traffic citation that the person who stole his identity racked up. As a result of this nightmare, Marcos Miranda's credit is so bad his cash won't spend because the person who stole his identity never paid the bills he racked up in Mr. Miranda's name.

Imagine you send your kid to school and come home to find him holding a report card in one hand, and a letter from the IRS demanding the $60,000.00 your child owes in taxes? It recently happened when an illegal immigrant stole the identitiy of a child and caused a nightmare of biblical proportions for his parents. Related Story

Personally, I don't care about the plight of those who come to this country to work or raise their kids here, but I do have a problem when those who are "seeking a better life" also seem to think that not only must Americans share the blessings of liberty with the uninvited, we must also unbeknown to us, share our identity with them to make it possible. I'd be willing to bet that someone reading this blog might have already had their identity stolen by an illegal and they don't even know it. Related Story

Each year, about nine million people pay their taxes with the wrong Social Security number and many of those numbers are being used belong to children who aren't even out of school yet! Related Story

Of course, you could end up like Lora and Jamey Costner of Tennessee where you end up owing the IRS thousands in taxes for a job you never had in a plant you never heard of and forced to pay back thousands more in disability payments that you not only never were entitled to, but never received in the first place. Related Story

It seems to me that wherever you find illegal immigrants, the immigration laws aren't the only laws being broken. What's worse, the identity of children is being stolen at an alarming rate because this information is valued quite highly by these folks. Think about it-if you steal the identity of a 10 year-old kid, it's going to be YEARS before the problem is probably discovered. Related Story

Need anyone be reminded of the two teenage girls who were killed in Virginia Beach last year by a drunk driver named Ramos that wasn't supposed to be here?

Of course, there are those who will defend the so-called "right" of people to come to the United States to work so they can have a better life for themselves and their kids, but I can't help but wonder what would cause these folks to change their minds?

I bet it'd take a letter from the IRS claiming they owe thousands in taxes for the wages they earned at the chicken plant in El Dorado, Arkansas, or the arrest warrent that claims they got a speeding ticket or was caught driving without insurance before they finally wake up and realize that illegal immigration has the potential to cause a problem with anyone who happens to have a Social Security number.

Mississippi isn't being "racist", they're not being too hard on illegals or xenophobic. Mississippi is protecting their legal citizens from an invasion of those who are using whatever means necessary to break the law-even if it is to get a job. The illegals might have rights to some extent, but they don't have the right to the identity of our citizens.

I just can't wait until the IRS starts using debt collection agencies to collect back taxes-it's happening.

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