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It seems to me that this country went seriously awry when voters elected a Democrat administration that rejects the fact that we're a sovereign nation.
I'm an immigrant. Let me illustrate how immigration to the United States used to work:
¯ In the fall of 1964 I applied for an immigration visa at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria. The absolutely necessary requirement of my application was that I had to have a sponsor and a letter with a job offer in the U.S., to prove that I would not be a burden to the U.S. taxpayers as part of my application.
¯ I arrived on a cold Friday in January 1965 and was assigned my eight-digit Alien Registration Number. I started my job on Monday. I now was a legal resident alien.
¯ Three months later, In May 1965 I received the famous induction letter from Uncle Sam: "Greetings …" Next thing I knew I was in Fort Hayes, Ohio, standing in line in a phalanx of draftees being inoculated against yellow fever and other assorted hazards prevalent in Vietnam. Yes -- the U.S. military inducted resident aliens into military service, provided one met the age and physical condition requirements at that time.
¯ Once admitted as a legal "immigrant" I had to wait five years before I could apply for U.S. citizenship during which "probationary" five-year period I was prohibited from certain specific citizens' rights such as voting, purchasing stock in certain military or defense contractors and, basically, I had to be an exemplary resident without breaking the law.
¯ Each January, for the next five years, I was required, by law, to fill out the required Alien Registration Card, including my Alien Registration Number and current address, and deliver it in person, showing an ID, to a local U.S. Post Office. The clerk then date-and-time stamped it and sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service in D.C. Thus, the government knew, at all times, my whereabouts. Furthermore, if I changed my address, I was required to notify the INS within 10 days with a new Alien Registration Card filing. If I failed to register in January or disclose a move, the penalty was deportation.
¯ After five years of "keeping my nose clean" I was able to apply for U.S. citizenship. During the required meeting with INS officials reviewing my citizenship application, I was grilled regarding my English language proficiency, the Constitution, our laws and American history -- basically questions that a first-semester Civics 101 student should be able to answer. My application was approved.
¯ Then on Monday, Sept. 13, 1971, I stood in a courtroom in downtown Manhattan, along with about 200 other immigrants, and swore allegiance to the U.S.A. I then was awarded, yes awarded, my coveted U.S. citizenship, receiving my Certificate of Naturalization. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.
I'm sympathetic for all folks wanting to come to the U.S., and I'm all for immigration -- legal immigration, which should be based on merit and the ability of the immigrant to contribute positively to our nation and not be a burden to U.S. taxpayers. The current system is not only an insult but makes a mockery of what those of us who came up the hard way, legally, to become grateful U.S. citizens, had to go through.
It is very sad to me to witness the travesty on our southern border of the sovereign United States of America.
(Sontag, a resident of Steubenville, is founder and chief executive officer of Fast Lane Travel Inc.)