The Rule of Law Begins at the Border

Imagine standing in line for hours, clutching a folder filled with documents - proof of identity, letters of sponsorship, medical exams - a painstakingly assembled trail of paperwork to apply for a visa. You’ve waited months, maybe years, for your chance to enter the United States the right way. And the process doesn’t end there. There are more interviews, biometric data appointments, and further requirements ahead. You have followed the rules, respected the process, and believed that fairness matters.

Now, picture someone else quietly slipping across the border - no questions asked, no vetting, no paperwork, simply bypassing the very system you trusted. And instead of facing consequences, they receive protection not just from neighbors or sympathizers, but from the very government officials tasked with upholding the law. It makes you wonder: What's the point of having laws if they are not enforced the same way for everyone?

Like any other country, the United States has a set of federal laws that govern immigration and establish the legal procedures for entering and residing in the country. These laws exist to maintain national security, regulate population flow, protect the labor market, and ensure immigration is orderly and fair. Ignoring this law doesn’t make it disappear - it undermines the principles that keep society just and functional. When individuals enter the country illegally or bypass the legal process, they are not merely avoiding paperwork - they are committing an unlawful act under federal immigration statutes.

Across the country, some cities and states have adopted “sanctuary” policies that shield undocumented immigrants from federal enforcement. But what message does this send? To legal immigrants who followed every step? To citizens who pay taxes, obey the law, and expect fairness? To those abroad deciding whether to follow the legal path or take a shortcut? More than just unfair to those who did things the right way, this approach of protecting individuals who break immigration laws sets a dangerous precedent. It punishes those who abide by the rules and rewards those who don’t. 

By ignoring violations, it signals that illegal entry carries little risk and encourages further lawbreaking. The more people see laws broken without consequences, the more likely they are to do the same. It tells the world that laws don’t matter, rules are optional, and consequences are negotiable, that the system is not built on justice - but on convenience and ideology.

So what happens when states or government officials, who swear an oath to uphold the law, choose instead to protect individuals who violate it? Isn’t that, in effect, obstructing justice?

If government officials refuse to enforce immigration laws or worse, protect those who break them, they are not just neglecting their legal duties; they are rewriting the rules of accountability, reshaping the meaning of justice, and undermining the rule of law. These are not merely policy decisions - they suggest that some laws matter more than others - and that justice is negotiable. 

Justice, by its nature, is supposed to be blind. It doesn’t favor certain people or bend to politics or sentiment. When the rule of law is applied unevenly, it creates a perception of unfairness and inequality to those who abide by the rules. Picking and choosing which laws to enforce based on ideology, political preferences or social pressure, the entire system begins to crumble - not all at once, but gradually - until the structure beneath it collapses. Over time, the rule of law erodes, and respect for the legal system fades. It doesn’t just weaken policy - it risks losing the very values that hold the nation together.

A nation can survive many challenges, but it cannot endure the slow abandonment of the principles that built it. Laws are not suggestions; they are the foundation of any civilized society - the foundation of freedom.

Enforcing and upholding immigration law doesn't mean slamming the door shut - it means ensuring that those who knock do so the right way. It means that everyone enters through the same door, under the same rules, and with the same respect for the process. This is not about unkindness, cruelty, or exclusion - it's about being just, consistent, and respectful: to citizens, to legal immigrants, to those patiently waiting their turn, and above all, to the laws of the land they wish to call home.

Compassion doesn’t mean tolerating wrongdoing; it means guiding people to do what is good and what is right. If you truly care about those seeking opportunity, you should help them navigate the legal system, and support individuals in following the proper process from the start just like everyone else rather than promote shortcuts that undermine it for everyone. 

Laws exist for a reason. Enforce them fairly, or risk losing the respect and stability they were meant to preserve. Equal enforcement of the law is what keeps a society just, stable, and strong. Abandonment of that principle risks losing the very foundation of justice and fairness that holds the country together.