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While the government spends all its money looking for innocent men crossing the border, the true bad guys are sneaking by.

For the last two weeks our government has been scouring the streets in a desperate attempt to find five Saudi men, who allegedly entered the country illegally on Christmas day. Five pictures went up on the FBI Web site to garner help from the American people to apprehend these men, who “might know something about terrorist activities.” However, after a waste of taxpayer money and the harassment of suspected individuals, it has been revealed that these men were never anywhere near the U.S. and Canadian border. In fact, the entire thing was made up – score zero for the government and 1,000,000 for bureaucratic stupidity and inefficiency.

While it is true that government security near the border will slip up now and again, the possible danger of foreign enemies entering our country can be minimized by sensible immigration policies. Most of the resources that go toward “controlling” the flow of immigration into this country are a waste of money. Billions of dollars are spent each year patrolling the border, apprehending illegal immigrants, and deporting them back to their homelands.

Because of the waste and unconstitutionality of the entire welfare state, too much money has been wasted on services for both legal and illegal immigrants, and it has become too costly to allow more to enter into this country. As a result, our government is spending more and more of our money to combat the so-called immigration “problem.” It has gotten to the point of gross human rights violations. Who can forget the brutal invasion into the private home of Elian Gonzales’s relatives, as he was torn away by government agents and sent back to his native, oppressive Cuba?

But isn’t this supposed to be the land of opportunity? Doesn’t it say on our own Statue of Liberty to “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” America became the greatest country in the world by following exactly those words. The most driven and individualistic people were able to leave their oppressive countries and make their own living as they saw fit. Consequently, ideas and viewpoints from all around the globe converged in America and brought about a growth in wealth, a revolution in technology, and a heightened standard of living unparallel by any other time in the history of human events. Even those with no skills were able to find entry level work, as an abundance of jobs were created. The poorest of poor could still afford a night’s entertainment at their local nickelodeon.

Today we are living in a completely different America. We live in a time in which innocent people, who are just trying to feed themselves and their families, are killed while trying to enter our country. Even those that are lucky enough to survive the trek are immediately weaned by the government, becoming dependent on welfare before they have the chance to exhibit their skills. Minimum wage laws prohibit those with lesser skills or resources from competing in the job market. A skilled worker cannot offer his or her services for a lesser amount, because employers are forced to pay a minimum amount. Thus, poverty increases.

The result is that the government is now spending massive amounts of money to bring the influx of immigrants to a standstill. But the government is limited in time, people and money, which makes it easier for dangerous people and criminals to get into the country.

Illegal immigrants are not “taking away jobs” or doing any such terrible thing to our country. The real crime is the welfare state and oppressive policies that hurt the poor. By opening this country up for immigration and by pooling all resources to stop those few who will try to get in and destroy us, the whole country would benefit and would be more safe from foreign invasion.

Schwartz is a fourth-year psychology student. E-mail him with your comments at jschwartz@media.ucla.edu.