A first-generation American speaks out! As the son of legal immigrants, the John Birch Society's immigration spokesman Sam Antonio offers a unique perspective on the dangers of illegal immigration.

Interview of Sam Antonio

Sam Antonio, a native of San Diego, California, was recently named by the John Birch Society to be the organization's national spokesman on immigration. Over the past six years, Mr. Antonio has been a full-time JBS field staff member in Southern California. He is a graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in political science and economics. He is also an avid photographer and has traveled widely throughout the United States and Europe.

Mr. Antonio recently attended the annual convention of the National Council of La Raza, a radical Hispanic group that promotes Mexican control of the United States' Southwest, in Los Angeles (July 811) as a correspondent/photographer for THE NEW AMERICAN. His report on that event appears on page 18 of this issue.

THE NEW AMERICAN: The illegal immigration tidal wave and the near total lack of security on our borders are twin crises that have concerned you for many years, I know. Why are these issues so "up close and personal" for you?

Sam Antonio: Having been born and raised in a border city like San Diego, California, and being the son of immigrant parents, I am accustomed to being in an environment of immigrants, albeit legal and illegal. People forget that San Diego is home to San Ysidro, the world's busiest land border crossing. Here are some figures to put this into perspective. For example, each year over 14 million vehicles and 40 million people enter the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

This issue really hits home for me, not only since I was raised in an immigrant household, but also because I have attended school with, worked with, and befriended immigrants who have come into this country illegally. I know them personally and have become familiar with their life experiences. As a result, they are not merely a statistic to be used in a debate.

TNA: San Diego is a beautiful city. What was it like growing up there and how has it changed?

Antonio: It's been called "America's Finest City," and I'm not going to disagree. San Diego is also known as "Navy Town, USA" since the U.S. Navy facilities there comprise the largest military base in the world. As such, combined with the fact that San Diego shares a border with Mexico, it has always had an international presence to it. It was a wonderful place to spend my childhood because of its diversity, and of course having a temperate year-round climate didn't hurt!

Over the years San Diego has changed dramatically and, I think, for the worse. Tijuana, Mexico, now has a population of over 1 million people (similar to the population of San Diego) and is only growing larger. More Mexicans and others are crossing the border illegally and at higher rates. Furthermore, they are not coming here to pursue the "American Dream," but rather to present an "American Nightmare" to the American taxpayers as they demand social services.

TNA: You have a degree in economics and are a strong advocate of free-market principles. Some self-described "free marketers"--Republican and Libertarian--claim to see a contradiction between those principles and immigration control, arguing that we must have a completely free movement of people across borders. What's your response to these critics ?

Antonio: What they fail to address is the issue of sovereignty and morality. First, sovereign nations must protect their borders for the simple fact that they can only assimilate so many immigrants at any one time. Second, you can't have free markets without morality. While Adam Smith is famous for authoring The Wealth of Nations. he also penned an earlier and important book called The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which gave the ethical and philosophical foundation for free markets. The free market in itself is not an amoral construct. But rather it must be based on good morals in order for it to function properly. Also, nationhood (i.e., language, culture, laws, and borders) must be respected and honored.

TNA: Speaking from your own personal and family experiences, why is assimilation so important?

Antonio: This immigration debate is about more than deploying additional federal officers at the border, building bigger walls, and guest-worker programs. The debate really comes down to the matter of morality. For instance, a sense of privilege and honor used to accompany being an American citizen, but that fact is being lost as more and more illegals enter our country. Also, a blatant disregard and disrespect for our Constitution, language, and culture is becoming more widespread. All this points to the fact that America's moral compass has been turned upside down by extreme elements of the pro-amnesty side, who want to divide Americans rather than unify them.

I look at the example of my parents immigrating to America, and in particular my father. He emigrated from the Philippines during the 1950s as a result of a new U.S. law that allowed Filipino Nationals to join the U.S. Navy and earn U.S. citizenship. He was part of the three waves of Filipino immigration to America. The first wave of Filipino immigrants came here as farm workers. The second wave were young men who joined the U.S. Navy. The third and current wave consists of working professionals.

Assimilation into American culture was important to my parents. English was the only language spoken in our household, although my parents spoke their native tongue between themselves. They knew if their children were to succeed in America we had to adopt the culture. We learned to respect the laws, the language, and the flag, and to take pride in being American. Growing up, I was puzzled as to why my parents stressed mastering the English language over their native language, but looking back now I have a broader appreciation of why they did so.

In the Philippines there are over 170 native languages, of which 12 are spoken by over 90 percent of the population (Tagalog being the most predominant). Many different native languages combined with regional/geographical differences have left the Philippines Balkanized. As Filipino immigrants came to America, their children quickly assimilated and identified themselves first as Americans and second as Filipinos, knowing that they didn't want to duplicate the fragmentation of their former country.

America stands strong because legal immigrants recognize that national identity and loyalty are essential to our nation's well-being.

TNA: Are we in danger of losing that sense of national identity and loyalty, or do you think we may have even lost the battle of assimilation already in some areas of the country?

Antonio: We have not lost it yet, but we are in critical danger of losing our sense of national identity if we continue down the current path. 9/11 has renewed a sense of loyalty and patriotism in America, but that has quickly eroded due to a lack of responsibility and understanding of what it means to be an American citizen. Most Americans have lost the deeper appreciation of the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, the concept of federalism, and just overall American civics. Remember, we are citizens of this great nation and not subjects. We have a duty to keep this great constitutional republic.

TNA: Many of the leading advocates of amnesty and open borders are quick to use the racism or xenophobia labels against all who propose any restrictions on immigration. Do those charges have any validity?

Antonio: None whatsoever! Name-calling is nothing more than a poor substitute for a lack of substance and the hard realization to face the facts. The facts are amnesty and open borders disrespect the immigrants who waited and abided by the legal channels to come to this country. In the end, ad hominem attacks have no place in this dialogue as they stir up emotions and offer no thoughtful solutions to a serious problem.

TNA: Both the Republican and the Democrat Party leaders have been courting the militant Hispanic vote. However, with congressional elections approaching, the Republicans now are trying simultaneously to appeal to their conservative base by posing as tough on immigration. Why are these elections so important and what should voters be doing to help bring about the needed immigration reform and border security?

Antonio: These elections are important because of what hasn't been said in the immigration debate, rather than what has been said--everything from charges of racism to reclaiming the Southwest United States in the name of "Aztlan," violence in the streets, and the blatant disregard of our laws and culture. These radical elements are trying to steamroll the political system and Balkanize America. America is unique because it draws its strength from diversity through unity. We are a nation comprised of individuals who speak different languages, practice different religions, and come from different cultures, but who are unified through our common language and common experience in our free society, able to be entrepreneurs, raise our families, express ourselves without fear of retribution, etc.

Regardless of what happens in the upcoming election--because the Democrats will support illegal immigration, and the Republicans will exploit it to their advantage--Americans need to get involved and force our government to address the problem in manner that is in harmony with our Constitution and limited government.

There are three steps that every American should take. First, educate yourself: subscribe to and read THE NEW AMERICAN (TNA) to become better informed, and visit our website, www.thenewamerican. com. Second, educate others. Pass out additional copies of TNA to opinion molders in your community. Third, join the John Birch Society (www.jbs.org) to be part of a concerted action program. We will be linking arms with groups who share our concern about this issue. Education with action will win this fight, but only if more Americans get involved.