Immigration

Today I'm going to answer another question that nobody has ever asked me: Where does the Orange County Mexican Restaurants blog stand on the immigration issue? Our position is the American position: that anybody is welcome here provided they come here legally and anybody who is here illegally would be benefited by seeking legal status.

The news sensationalizes the issue and makes it look like there are only two types of people in the county:

• 75% who are here illegally and think the country should allow anybody without any sort of legal process
  
• 25% who never want anybody coming here from another country under any circumstance, legally or illegally

But it seems to me that the reality (admittedly somewhat simplified because I can't ask the opinion of everyone who lives here) is that there are three types of people in the county:

• 2.5% who are here illegally and think the USA should allow anybody in freely but who don't like Guatemalans illegally coming into their home country
• 95% who welcome people from any country and of any race who come here legally and contribute to the common good and general welfare
• 2.5% who confuse legal immigration with illegal immigration and thereby end up being against any sort of immigration

Funny thing is, it is only people from the first and the last groups who show up at rallies and protests and cause ruckuses yelling at each other and it obscures the fact that there are millions of Americans who are in favor of legal immigration, even in favor of those legally immigrating from Mexico. Somebody from the quiet majority has to speak up. Don't fall for the sensationalism. Being a good American means recognizing your own immigrant roots, no matter how far back they go, and welcoming legal immigrants from any country. There are many Americans of Hispanic descent who feel this same way.