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To the Editor:
Someone said, “Immigrants helped make America great, but there’s a right way to enter this country.” My family did it the right way and came from Switzerland and were the first settlers of the Siam community here in Elizabethton. What would our founders say about immigration?
President George Washington said, “My opinion with respect to (immigration) is that except for useful mechanics and some particular descriptions of men or professions, there is no need of encouragement…the policy of settling…(immigrants) in a body may be much questioned: for, by so doing, they retain the language, habits, and principles…which they bring with them.” George Washington is still correct. We should discourage immigration unless they are being persecuted for their faith and stop all illegal immigration!
During the month of August 2023, a total of 232,972 illegal migrants were caught by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) on our southern border, an average of 7,500 per day. The month of September 2023 there were 260,000 illegals – the most ever in one month. The Biden administration has a policy allowing these people to be released into the United States with as little as a promise of a future appointment for future processing, with no guarantee they would keep the appointment. The Biden DHS is even offering legal status and work authorization to 470,000 Venezuelan illegal immigrants. It is insane for America to fund border security for Ukraine and Arab countries but not for America! As a result of our open borders over 70,000 Americans died from fentanyl last year.
While not caring about how many illegals and drugs come across our borders our government immigration policy is being tough on Christians wanting to come here to save their lives because of persecution. According to www.christianheadlines.com fewer Christians fleeing persecution in their native countries have found a safe harbor in the U.S. in a time when Christian persecution is on the rise. The report, titled “Closed Doors,” found the number of Christians coming to the U.S. from countries named on a prominent persecution watchlist dropped from 32,248 in 2016 to only 9,528 in 2022 – a decline of 70 percent! Also, our immigration policy wants to kick out of America a law abiding German homeschooling family claiming religious persecution. Uwe and Hannelore Romeike are deeply Christian people and they wanted to raise their five children in Tennessee in line with their religious values which means homeschooling. They moved to America because in Germany homeschooling is illegal. They wanted to live in America where our U.S. Supreme Court has recognized for a century a constitutional right to homeschool. Upon arrival in the U.S. in 2008 the Romeike family filed for asylum from persecution to raise their children in accordance with their religious beliefs. They made all their immigration paperwork and worked diligently through the immigration process. An initial immigration judge approved their application. The Department of Justice appealed that approval and they have been fighting in court for years and sadly now they lost and must leave the country. America lets illegal immigrants, many dangerous, flood across the southern border but this law-abiding Tennessee Christian family they want kicked out!
If illegal immigrants are willing to break the law to get here, will they obey the law once here? The Texas governor said, “not all of these people come in peace.” Undocumented immigrant Luis Bracamontes boasted about his murder of two police officers in 2014. Many illegals have murdered and raped people. Last month 35 illegal migrants were among the 219 arrested in a Human Trafficking sting in Florida. The majority of those crossing the border aren’t caught. With more people coming across the border there’s more chance for terrorists to be among them. There’s more chance for an infectious disease-carrying immigrant to start a pandemic disease outbreak that puts all Americans at risk! Deuteronomy 28 says one of God’s judgments on an evil country is an invasion of illegal aliens.
The Biblical Ruth was a successful immigrant because she had a sponsor and assimilated. Ruth said, “Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” The Bible says to focus on helping widows and young orphans. America should refuse refugees that are single adult males as they are more likely to be terrorists and to not assimilate. America should require all immigrants to have a sponsor and learn English, the official language of Tennessee. We should have no room for foreigners who don’t assimilate. If they have no desire to assimilate they are not immigrants but invaders. Will we be able to recognize America in the future if we continue to allow immigrants from other counties to change us? We will have to change our motto of ‘out of many one’. American immigration policies are insane and destroying America. The Texas governor wants an invasion declaration. He is right. The invasion of illegal migrants, some armed, some terrorist, some diseased on our border is scarier than any Halloween movies!

D.D. Nave
Elizabethton