Ryan Hisao Mand's Brilliant Take on Immigration

Ryan Mand (on the right)

Ryan Mand of Torrance, CA, a former city council candidate and current college student, laid out a good argument for controlled migration into the United States: 

Also, I don't see anything immoral about closing the borders to immigration whatsoever. Doesn't mean I'm for it. But look at this analogy; when a concert hall sells out of tickets - that's it. You can't get in after. Why? Because then you start to have guest and safety issues; ridiculously long lines to the restroom, not enough medical staff to take care of the druggies, not enough bouncers per attendee, potential structural damage, etc. It just makes the experience lousier the more you let in after a certain point. With all of the traffic, water shortages, and crime - one can easily argue that more immigrants takes up space in California that just does not exist. Infrastructure can't hang with it.

I could not think of a better, simple yet articulate way to explain the immigration situation.

The traffic problems have exploded in California, in greater part because of rising illegal immigration, and the attending number of individuals seeking driver's licenses. We the People Rising had to meander through traffic for an hour just to get out of Downtown Los Angeles.

Supply and demand are facts of life, natural laws which the most regressive of governments cannot progress beyond. The stress on our state's public resources simply cannot accommodate unfettered immigration.

Mand's comments focus on the resources problem effectively. Security concerns also arise with more people crushing into one limited space.

Two comments I would add to Mand's take on immigration:

I am not against immigration. I oppose illegal immigration. I am not ready to stop immigration altogether. Second, there is a moral reality to this problem which cannot be ignored. Without the rule of law, there is no peace or security. Let's coninue with the concert hall analogy. Individual participants have paid top dollar to attend. Is it fair to allow people to crash the concert at the last minute? Is it fair to allow people to sneak into the concert for free?

Of course not!

The immigration problem is more complex than a concert hall -- granted. But the complexities of balancing resources and rule of law do contribute to a better understanding of why any nation, even the most free and open, must demand a secure border and limit legal immigration.