In the photograph above I am the child standing before the elderly woman. She is my great-grandmother, one of the two women whose name I bear. I did not know her well, but do remember that she was tiny but strong. She emigrated legally to the United States from Germany through Ellis Island. She passed through the rigorous inspections that were in place to screen out disease and criminal activity. I am so thankful she came to this blessed land of America.

I believe in immigration, and everyone in the United States should also since a large percentage of us descend from immigrants somewhere down our line. What I do not believe in though is indiscriminately opening our borders to those who would ignore the protocol for entry. I am concerned that our pity for the young children trying to escape poverty and crime is allowing these same children to become a Trojan horse that could carry into our country an extra burden on our struggling economy, disease, pandemics, over-crowding, crime, gang violence and even elevate the threat of terrorism.

What can we do? I’m afraid not much about the current crisis. We can’t change yesterday, but we can do things right today and in the future. Most of all we need to have our eyes wide open concerning those we elect to govern this country. Experience and Constitutional integrity and adherence does matter! We are witnessing the lack of it now in our country…enough said.