This is the second in a series on immigration reform. The first part was published on Wednesday’s editorial page.

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he hypocritical lack of a fair strategy in dealing with those illegally here and those seeking sanctuary in the USA will further contribute to our failing as a nation. The biggest lie told is that we all are immigrants and that is what built America. Two groups — Native Americans and slaves — were not immigrants to this nation, with the former being entitled to be here and the latter forcibly  brought here and used to rev up our economy.

There are approximately 15 million people here illegally, the majority of whom in the last decades crossed the Mexican border. Interestingly this number approximates that for citizens without jobs. The prevailing nonsense that they do jobs we won’t discards certain facts: (1) you aren’t entitled to pick and chose your job, (2) you shouldn’t be governmentally compensated when there is work available and (3) those here illegally shouldn’t be entitled to jobs citizens don’t want or benefits citizens don’t get.

Many say that you can’t deport 15 million people, which belies the fact that this is exactly what Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower did to ensure jobs were available to native citizens. During the Great Depression, Hoover ordered the deportation of all illegal aliens. After WWII, Truman ordered 2 million out of the country to create jobs for returning veterans. In a 1954 move entitled “Operation Wetbacks,” President Eisenhower deported 13 million illegally here to Mexico.  Ronald Reagan made matters worse in his 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act ,which granted amnesty to 2.7 million illegal aliens. This didn’t stem the tide, but only encouraged more to follow.

One of the Obama Administration’s misguided pieces of legislation is that called “H2A,” which allows people illegally here to be paid $9 plus per hour, rising to over $10 in 2016 with possible added provisions for health care, transportation and housing. Citizens of the nation make $7.25 for minimum wage and can’t get the other provisions for free. The American Dream Act grants to non-citizens a free education while many birthright citizens of color and other poor people are denied these same provisions which could be a catalyst increasing the likelihood of citizens taking jobs which some may otherwise find distasteful.

Then there is the wet/dry nonsense which allows those coming across the land barrier to stay while those traversing the adversity of sea fleeing volcano eruptions or escaping political oppression, such as in Haiti, are returned to their devastated lands. If Haitians don’t get to enter and stay, then all should be turned back. It must also not be lost that the immigration quotas adversely affect the darker skinned peoples of Africa and the Caribbean Islands.

Religious groups, under the guise of compassion, too often boost their membership in giving sanctuary to those who share their faith, e.g. 70 percent of the Catholic immigrants reveal 25 percent are born Hispanics. Consideration to how this affects national dynamics is thrown to the wind. The population largely affected will be African-Americans, reinforcing the perception of many that ‘Black Lives Don’t Matter’ as we are moved from our spaces and places.

Internally our colleges and universities undermine immigration efforts by not being held fully accountable for foreign students who overstay their visas as well as compete with our graduates for jobs. Non-compliers should lose federal funds. Those of the 40 percent who have overstayed their visas should be found and returned to their nations. Criminals should be deported without the possibility of return. This means tougher green card scrutiny, card check systems/E-verify or whatever it takes to ensure that citizens are given first priority for jobs. All benefits paid to those here illegally must be borne by employers. Our Totalization Agreement program, which annually gives more than a billion dollars to Mexico from Social Security set asides, paid by those here illegally, should be distributed among the states with large illegal immigrant populations as compensation for overwhelming their welfare system.

A Pew Foundation study of the population of Mexico revealed that 40 percent would move to America if they could, whether legally or illegally. This shift in population dynamics will see us as a dual language nation, which disadvantages those not speaking Spanish. It must be appreciated that Mandarin is the most prevalently spoken language in the world, so where is this taught in our schools? A constitutional amendment making English the national language for all legal and business matters is necessary. This would trim the cost of governing.

These essential priorities might improve our national security in addition to closing the borders and removing Preferred Nation Status from those who violate our laws as well as export drugs into this nation.

Dr. Ada M. Fisher is the NC Republican National Committee Woman and the author of “Common Sense Conservative Prescriptions: Solutions for What Ails Us, Book I.” Contact her at P. O. Box 777; Salisbury, NC 28145; or via email at DrFisher@DrAdaMFisher.org.