Too many Americans get frustrated when it comes to fighting illegal immigration. They feel like there is nothing they can do to stop it because the federal government refuses to secure our borders. However this is not so. There are many things the average citizen can do at all levels to combat this problem. You must first make a commitment to yourself though. A commitment to stand and fight no matter what you run into. A commitment to make a difference. A commitment to never give up. Once you have made the decision to fight, then you must educate yourself with the facts about illegal immigration so you can hold your own in a debate. People will listen as you throw facts at them and give them the source of the fact to back up your points. Here is an example of a fact. Did you know that securing the border is only sixty percent of the illegal immigration problem? The other forty percent is from people overstaying their visa. Most Americans who scream for the borders to be secured think that actually securing them would stop the problem. Not so. By teaching them this fact and others, you help educate those around you who are also actively engaged in making a difference. They will look to you for leadership and knowledge.
1- Start a local organization. It's not as hard as some people think to start a group in your neighborhood. Start out by finding a few people locally who feel the same way you do about illegal immigration. Arrange a meeting and talk about the direction you want to take the group. Once you have a mission statement about the goals of the group, then you can start recruiting to grow the group. Everyone in the group should be able to bring something to the table. Maybe you have a person who is good with public speaking, another who is good at designing and printing flyers for events your group is holding, etc. The more your group meets the more you will locate each person's strengths and weaknesses. I have both driven and flown to other states just to help local groups get off the ground by attending the initial meeting of the group and providing direction and suggestions on what I believe they left out during the meeting. It all starts with the initial meeting.
2- Join www.numbersusa.com. This is the only lobbying firm in DC that fights illegal immigration. It is free to join and they have almost one million members. I credit this group with stopping the amnesty attempts in 2006 and 2007 and the DREAM Act attempt last December. Roy Beck runs the group and him and his staff keep you up to date on what DC is trying to pull behind our backs. Like I said, it is free to join but they will ask for donations from time to time. The donations are tax deductible and I believe it is money well spent.
3- Educate yourself. You will need to know what you are talking about when the time comes to debate the other side, talk with your local politicians, do media interviews, etc. Some national groups fighting illegals immigration like FAIR and Center for Immigration Studies frequently produce papers on different areas of illegal immigration such as numbers of illegals in areas and costs to the taxpayer, etc. Join their websites at fairus.org and cis.org. Read their papers. Also, talk with your local law enforcement and see what their policies are with regard to illegals in their jails. Do they cooperate with ICE? Do they participate in the federal 287G program which is designed to discover who is who through fingerprints? Is your area a "sanctuary city" where the law enforcement has no dealings with the feds? What percentage of the jail population in your area is made up of illegals?
4- Election time. During elections, learn from the candidates what their stances are on illegal immigration. If there is a viable candidate, help spread the word that a vote for this person is a vote against illegal immigration.
5- Support volunteer border watch groups. There are many groups of volunteers who spend their own time and money going to the border and conducting operations to aid law enforcement. Some groups will physically conduct patrols and watch from observation posts. Other groups set out trail cameras to document illegal activity such as drug and human trafficking. Either way, if a group you are interested in is a reputable group, then think about donating to that group or finding people in your local group who would like to go down to the border and volunteer. Supporting these border watch groups in any way possible helps them to continue their operations and lets the federal government know that we are keeping their feet to the fire on this issue.
These are five ways you can help fight illegal immigration from the local level all the way up to the federal level. If have any questions feel free to email me at americanborderblog@gmail.com.
Good Luck!
1- Start a local organization. It's not as hard as some people think to start a group in your neighborhood. Start out by finding a few people locally who feel the same way you do about illegal immigration. Arrange a meeting and talk about the direction you want to take the group. Once you have a mission statement about the goals of the group, then you can start recruiting to grow the group. Everyone in the group should be able to bring something to the table. Maybe you have a person who is good with public speaking, another who is good at designing and printing flyers for events your group is holding, etc. The more your group meets the more you will locate each person's strengths and weaknesses. I have both driven and flown to other states just to help local groups get off the ground by attending the initial meeting of the group and providing direction and suggestions on what I believe they left out during the meeting. It all starts with the initial meeting.
2- Join www.numbersusa.com. This is the only lobbying firm in DC that fights illegal immigration. It is free to join and they have almost one million members. I credit this group with stopping the amnesty attempts in 2006 and 2007 and the DREAM Act attempt last December. Roy Beck runs the group and him and his staff keep you up to date on what DC is trying to pull behind our backs. Like I said, it is free to join but they will ask for donations from time to time. The donations are tax deductible and I believe it is money well spent.
3- Educate yourself. You will need to know what you are talking about when the time comes to debate the other side, talk with your local politicians, do media interviews, etc. Some national groups fighting illegals immigration like FAIR and Center for Immigration Studies frequently produce papers on different areas of illegal immigration such as numbers of illegals in areas and costs to the taxpayer, etc. Join their websites at fairus.org and cis.org. Read their papers. Also, talk with your local law enforcement and see what their policies are with regard to illegals in their jails. Do they cooperate with ICE? Do they participate in the federal 287G program which is designed to discover who is who through fingerprints? Is your area a "sanctuary city" where the law enforcement has no dealings with the feds? What percentage of the jail population in your area is made up of illegals?
4- Election time. During elections, learn from the candidates what their stances are on illegal immigration. If there is a viable candidate, help spread the word that a vote for this person is a vote against illegal immigration.
5- Support volunteer border watch groups. There are many groups of volunteers who spend their own time and money going to the border and conducting operations to aid law enforcement. Some groups will physically conduct patrols and watch from observation posts. Other groups set out trail cameras to document illegal activity such as drug and human trafficking. Either way, if a group you are interested in is a reputable group, then think about donating to that group or finding people in your local group who would like to go down to the border and volunteer. Supporting these border watch groups in any way possible helps them to continue their operations and lets the federal government know that we are keeping their feet to the fire on this issue.
These are five ways you can help fight illegal immigration from the local level all the way up to the federal level. If have any questions feel free to email me at americanborderblog@gmail.com.
Good Luck!