On December 16th, 1978, in Taipei, two young families huddled around the television and watched with fear and trepidation as President Jimmy Carter announced to the world from the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., that starting on January 1st, 1979, the United States would establish diplomatic relations with Beijing’s government in China. Widespread angst began to take hold across the otherwise calm island of Taiwan.
As the days and weeks went on, fear began to set in amongst the Taiwanese people who were bracing for what was at the time thought to be a forthcoming Communist invasion of their island from China.
From 1927-1936 and again from 1945-1949, a bloody civil war was fought by the Nationalists “Kuomintang”, led by Chiang-Kai Shek, and the Communists, led by Mao Zedong. As the Kuomintang lost control of territory in China, Chiang-Kai Shek and his government retreated to the island of Taiwan and established their seat of government in Taipei.
To this day, Taiwan and China remain divided, and their respective territories are administered by two different governments. Until 1979, the United States maintained diplomatic relations with Taipei’s government until the Carter administration switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing’s government.
For those two young families, it was time to finally follow their dreams and come to the United States of America. They went through all the proper procedures. They applied for their visas and waited. Several years later their visas were approved, and they were finally able to immigrate to the United States. Those two young families were my grandparents’.
As a young child, I heard my grandparents tell me this story dozens of times. I remember asking them at one of our family gatherings, “If everyone was so worried that the Communists were about to invade Taiwan, why did you guys wait so long before moving to America?” My grandpa’s response always stuck with me. He said, “What kind of example would I be setting for my kids if we broke the laws of our new country in order to get here? Yes, we were worried. Yes, we were concerned for our safety. But we had to wait and do it the right way.”
Today, our southern border is being overrun by migrants. While most migrants are from Central and South America, there are migrants from all over the world crossing our southern border. Customs authorities have no way of knowing who is coming into our country nor their backgrounds. Some migrants may have recently been let out of or escaped prisons. Other migrants may even be tasked by our foreign adversaries to enter the United States.
In FY2023, the United States Border Patrol encountered 169 individuals listed on the terrorist watch list between ports of entry along the southern border. How many on the terrorist watch list were not encountered by Border Patrol and successfully made their way into the United States? Drug Cartels engaged in drug smuggling and human trafficking are taking advantage of America’s porous Southern Border and are making a fortune.
The fentanyl trafficked by the cartels are killing our fellow Americans every day.
The Biden-Harris administration’s weak policies on the border are wreaking havoc on communities across the country. Illegal immigration is not an issue that only affects Americans living near the border.
Illegal immigration is a problem that affects all Americans, including Alabamians. An influx of illegal immigrants into Alabama will have a long-term negative impact on the state and impose a major strain on the infrastructure and resources across our communities. The Biden-Harris administration must reverse their disastrous immigration policies so that we may regain control of our borders and effectively combat illegal immigration.
Every American should ask themselves, is it fair to put those entering the United States illegally ahead of those who are abiding by our immigration laws and are doing it the right way?
Derek Chen is an Alabama-based attorney and conservative activist. Born in California to Taiwanese immigrants to the United States, he is now a proud resident of Vestavia Hills. He received his JD from Samford University and his MBA from the University of Alabama.
