…when they show up in massive numbers (on a work day) to literally demonstrate just how out of control the problem is. Michelle Malkin has photos and links to several stories about the protest against H.R. 4437 in Chicago yesterday. Just look at all those flags, such a fine display of patriotism. So what are they protesting?

By a 239-182 vote the House of Representatives approved the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act, H.R. 4437, on December 16. The legislation, authored by Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), would make improvements in this nation’s ability to control rampant illegal immigration.

H.R. 4437 calls for a variety of steps to rein-in mass illegal immigration. At the southern border, the legislation authorizes construction of an additional 700 miles of security fencing, similar to the highly effective barrier already in place in the San Diego area. The bill would also require implementation of an electronic verification system to be used by all employers to ensure that the workers they hire are legal residents. Failure to comply with the verification procedure could result in fines of up to $7,000 per violation for a first offense and as high as $40,000 the third time an employer gets caught hiring illegal aliens.

Illegal aliens themselves would also face stiffer penalties for violating U.S. immigration laws under H.R. 4437. Illegal entry, now considered a misdemeanor offense, would become a felony and illegal aliens could receive jail time for immigration violations.

According to Pat Buchanan “Reagan said, the country that can’t control its borders isn’t really a country anymore.” It’s hard to argue with that, unless you think the U.N. is the only country anyone needs.

The focus now shifts to the Senate, which must also pass an immigration enforcement bill before it can be sent to the president for his signature. The Senate is expected to take up immigration matters in February, but the prospects for an enforcement-only bill are less favorable than in the House. While Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has offered legislation similar to the Sensenbrenner House bill, it is widely believed what comes out of the Senate will look more like the McCain-Kennedy legislation that includes a massive guest worker amnesty program. The plan among open borders Senators, who also have the backing of the Bush administration, is to pass their guest worker amnesty bill then combine theirs with the Sensenbrenner bill in a conference committee.

Ironically enough (again according to Buchanan) “Twenty years ago, Ronald Reagan was persuaded to grant a one-time amnesty to millions of illegal aliens who had been here for years. Result: Some 1.5 million illegal aliens were caught almost every year after. They had missed out on the amnesty, and they, too, wanted in. When Bush first broached his “guest-worker” program two years ago, there was a surge to the border from Mexico.”

Many people say they’re willing to pay more taxes to fund the government they want. Well I’d pay more for goods and services to keep an unprecedented flood of illegal immigrants from overwhelming our country’s cultural norms and civil infrastructure. The Bush tax cuts demonstrated that lower tax rates can actually increase tax revenues. Likewise stemming the flood of illegal immigrants won’t necessarily ruin our economy or produce even a net rise in consumer costs. America was built by immigrants and remains strong because the best and brightest from all over the world continue to come here legally. The only way you can think legitimatizing the illegal immigration status quo with amnesty or a guest worker program makes sense is if you A) have no respect for those who immigrate legally, and B) ignore the below average tax contribution made by illegal immigrants (or guest workers) and their families and the above average burden they place on our health care, justice, and education systems. A country’s citizens have every right to be selective about who they let into their country, and it makes sense to start by excluding those who cut the line.