Ed Royce Makes a Run for the Border

The San Diego Union-Tribune, whose editorials typically lean solidly to the right, has come out firmly against mixing illegal immigration with the war on terror--and with "The Wrong Mix," they more specifically chide OC's own Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) for chairing an Imperial Beach congressional hearing that did just that.

Rep. Royce said his special hearing panel would focus on whether America's porous border makes it more vulnerable to another terrorist attack. That should have been our first hint that things were about to get weird.

The U-T went on to, in the words of Stephen Colbert, nail it: those going nutso over illegal immigration have their bloomers in a bunch over trespassers, not terrorists. Hard facts tell know lies: less than 1 percent of those apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border come from a country other than Mexico--and the majority of those from other countries are from countries in Central or South America.

Nonetheless, for nearly four hours, Rep. Royce and his panel tried to shove a square peg into a round hole. There they were, trying to frame every aspect of the immigration issue as a national security issue, and trying to link the battle against illegal immigration with the war on terror. In doing so, they did a disservice to both.

The U-T said protesters on all sides of the debate didn't even get a chance to vent.

They came to have their say, and all they got was an earful of what members of Congress had to say-in front of television cameras. We thought Congress getting involved in the debate over illegal immigration would make things better. But, if it conducts more hearings like this, it could make things worse.

Couldn't have written it better ourselves.