Illegal Immigration: The Need for a Discussion Beyond Walls and Sanctuary Cities

Illegal immigration is a topic that is much discussed but about which most people--and politicians--know very little, and what passes for "information" on the subject is often far from the truth. For example, illegal immigrants (undocumented workers for those on the left of the political spectrum) do not just take jobs Americans don't want; a significant number are employed in high paying blue and white collar professions, including law, academia and medicine. Nor is the often touted "fact" that illegal immigrants add significant value to our economy accurate; although many do in fact pay taxes, as a group illegal immigrants are a net drain on the economy.

The push for open borders and the unwillingness of both Democratic and Republican administrations in recent memory to enforce immigration laws pose serious public safety and national security issues, and no debate about immigration policy can ignore the humanitarian and ethical considerations for both illegal immigrants and for the far larger number of would-be legal immigrants waiting in line for years for their chance of a better life.
We have not yet begun a serious discussion of these issues and I fear we never will as the left and right will simply continue to politicize the issue rather than face the inconvenient truths that should be aired in an honest discussion about immigration policy beyond yet another simplistic and counter-productive Reaganesque amnesty by any other name is proposed and implemented. In my article, “Illegal Immigration: Economic, Social and Ethical Implications” North East Journal of Legal Studies (NEALSB) Vol. 22 (Fall 2009), I focused attention some of the vital issues that underlie our current predicament which is only likely to be made worse by any of the simple solutions to a complicated problem that have been aired in recent years and will once again rise from the ashes during the next administration. This is an issue I need to revisit formally in the near future as the data need to be updated, but the conclusions are unchanged.

Whatever your personal views on the issue. I hope you will read (and, if you are so inclined, share) the article, conduct your own independent research and perhaps add your voice in a meaningful way to the ongoing discussion--whether you agree or disagree with my conclusions. NEALSB is a refereed journal that is only available by subscription, but fortunately some of the recent volumes have been made available online, including the Fall 2009 volume in which my article appeared. You can download the article here: Illegal Immigration: Economic, Social and Ethical Implications.

In 2013 I published a second related article, “Dealing with Uninvited and Unwelcomed Guests: a Survey of Current State Legislative Efforts to Control Illegal Immigration Within Their Borders”, Int. J. Public Law and Policy, Vol. 3, No. 1 (2013). At the time, the U.S. Supreme Court had not yet weighed in on the constitutionality of state efforts to enforce federal immigration law in answer to the Obama Administration’s refusal to enforce the law. (No president from Reagan through Obama has made a sufficient effort to enforce the law, which explains why after President Reagan provided a general amnesty to most illegal aliens, effectively reducing illegal immigrants to near zero during his time in office, we find ourselves with more than 12 million illegal aliens today.) When the Obama administration challenged the Constitutionality of Arizona’s efforts to enforce federal immigration law within its borders, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled most (but not all) such efforts as Unconstitutional, holding that only the federal government (read: Congress, the legislative branch) can set immigration law and only the federal government (read: the President, the executive branch) can enforce federal law. The high court would later invalidate President Obama's efforts to grant amnesty by executive order unconstitutional. This particular article is, unfortunately, not available other than through subscription services. The brief abstract can be found at: http://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJPLAP.2013.051013

Smashwords Interview Excerpt

I just came across a" Smashwords Interview" from a few years ago as I answered a new question about my latest book.  Here is an excerpt. You can access the full text at the following link: Smashwords Interview.

Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?

Yes. Alas, it is lost along with much of my early work done on typewriters with no backups. I will rewrite it some day as it still speaks to me and, like many of my later stories, it delved into the interplay between the conscious and subconscious mind, life lessons and redemption. My second short story, Eternal Quest, survives in my latest short story collection, Mindscapes, and is still a favorite that is little changed from the one written by a young old man of 19 who had already learned some of the most vital lessons about the things that matter that he would ever learn. My philosophy, too, has changed little over the intervening decades.

What is your writing process?

For both my fiction and non-fiction I tend to compose at the keyboard. I do no outlining and seldom work on plot lines ahead of time. Also, my first draft is usually also my final draft with only minor changes. During the day, I almost always have a cup of coffee on hand as I write. At night, it may be tea, diet Coke or Pepsi or a glass of wine. Less often, when writing late into the morning, especially after a particularly good or bad day, the glass of wine may be replaced by a snifter of brandy or an Absolut vodka martini with olives. (No more than 2 drinks a day on average as a rule, though.) I like to work in significant blocks of time without interruption other than fetching coffee or pestering my wife during very brief breaks until she yells at me and I slink back to work.

What are your five favorite books, and why?

It is impossible for me to answer this. So I'll just list the first five that come to mind that have had a significant impact.

1, Intimations of Immortality by William Wordsworth. I love Wordsworth above all other poets of all times--even more than Shakespeare and Milton. This lengthy Ode encapsulates him for me, and links him to my favorite philosopher, Plato. It has had a profound influence as the first among my beloved Romantic poems.
2. Bleak House by Charles Dickens. "If that is the law, the law is a ass." What more need I say? (A case that drags out for generations until the last farthing is spent and then is finally resolved. That's not fiction. That's an ETERNAL TRUTH! And yet I still went to law school. Maybe I should list Freud next.)
3. Plato's Republic. (And the Socratic Dialogues.) There is Plato's idealism, Aristotle's realism and the rest is largely a historical footnote.
4. Shakespeare's complete works. The comedies. The tragedies. The sonnets. The inferiority complex for the rest of us who dare write anything at all after reading him.
5. Roger Zelazny's Amber series. I know, I know. It's absurd to list it here but it is still my favorite fantasy series of books from one of my favorite writers. I've read thousands upon thousands of pages in favorite fantasy series, including every word in the trillion page (it seems) absurdly long "Sword of Truth" series of books by Terry Goodkind (whom I love). At times I literally screamed in frustration at the repetitiveness GET TO THE F*^%$*#G POINT! George RR Martin (another favorite writer) in his lengthy Game of Thrones series of books (all eagerly digested--likewise the HBO series) also made me squirm and/or skip ahead from time to time lest I tear out the few remaining hairs on my head. I will buy the next long-overdue installment as soon as it is available, though. Likewise many other favorite authors like Stephen King (I almost died of boredom on my way to the Dark Tower on many occasions) -- and on very, very rare occasion even Dean Koontz whom were I pagan I would worship as a demigod. But Zelazny never had that effect on me, especially in his Amber series. Not a single skipped word. Not a single needless, redundant description. Were it not nearly 2:00 a.m. and need I not get up in less than six hours to attend Commencement ceremonies I'd probably rummage through my library for my Book Club two-volume Chronicles of Amber right now.

Describe your desk

Cluttered.

When did you first start writing?

Almost as soon as I learned to write. I was writing (bad) poetry when I was eight years old, and "stories" before that. I kept a journal before I knew what a journal was--and burned it when what it contained was too painful, troubling, embarrassing, or simply too real to deal with at a tender age. I wish I had not for I can't remember what that precocious child found too troubling to keep around. This (no longer precocious) adult would like to know--and smile (mostly) and perhaps shed a tear or two for the unrequited love, frustrations or deep truths learned too young in life to process in a more productive way. I wrote a lot back then. Doubtless it was full of sound and fury, signifying nothing (apologies to The Bard). Some things don't much change.

What are you working on next?

I'm winding down a sabbatical leave as I write this. This semester I completed research on usury laws in all 50 states and how these are in effect undermined by federal law. The research was started last summer and completed in late January, with a paper completed in early April and presented at the NEALSB annual conference in late April. It is now out for a first round of reviews in selected first-tier journals and law reviews. I am also currently in the process of researching "good Samaritan" statutes in all 50 states, a project that will continue beyond the summer and will form the foundation for a paper completed before the end of the fall 2015 semester. This summer, I will also work on a new, expanded 3rd edition on my Business Law and the Legal Environment of Business for my current publisher, Textbook Media Publishing, that should be out early next year. Not much time for fiction or poetry projects in the coming year, I'm afraid, nor for work on my first novel that has been mostly on hold in mid-stream for the better part of a decade due to time constraints.

Published 2015-05-07.

Save 25 percent on my new Copyright Law book until April 15

Just published: Copyright Law: A Practical Guide (25% off until April 15)

This book is based on the material that first appeared in my Intellectual Property Law: A Practical Guide to Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks and Trade Secrets with some updates and expansion. Like my earlier work, it is meant to serve as a resource that provides information in an easy to understand and absorb manner. Unlike my earlier work that offers a survey of intellectual property law, this one focuses exclusively on copyright and will be priced at $3.99. 

Until April 15, the book is available at an introductory price of $2.99 with coupon code EH38H at checkout--but ONLY at Smashwords.

Just published: Copyright Law: A Practical Guide

This book is based on the material that first appeared in my Intellectual Property Law: A Practical Guide to Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks and Trade Secrets with some updates and expansion. Like my earlier work, it is meant to serve as a resource that provides information in an easy to understand and absorb manner. Unlike my earlier work that offers a survey of intellectual property law, this one focuses exclusively on copyright and will be priced at $3.99. It is available today from Smashwords and will be available in  a day or two from Amazon, iBooks, B&N and other retailers. For a free preview, you can click on the book cover above.

Free through April 15 -- two speculative fiction short stories from my Mindscapes collection

From now until April 15, 2018 you can download a copy of the two shortest stories from my Mindscapes collection only at Smashwords by clicking here or on the book cover page below with automatically generated coupon code. You can also send a copy to a friend free of charge by selecting the option "give as a gift" from the book's Smashwords page, but you will need to enter the coupon code manually to gift the story free of charge.

If you do not already have a Smashwords account, you will need to sign up for a free account by providing a  user name and email address to download books, although free previews of Smashwords titles should be able to be downloaded even without an account. This is not my requirement but that of Smashwords. (The same is true for downloading free or paid books from Amazon, B&N, iTunes,  and every other retailer where my books are sold.)  I have never and will never collect email addresses from my readers--not at my blogs or personal web page as I detest spam emails and have not and will not engage in that practice. 

If you'd like to hear my cold reading of the short story "Justice" you can click here for a very simple book trailer with my reading of the entire short story in the background. Rest assured that the audiobook version of my Mindscapes collection has a very different interpretation of this short story and was professionally read and produced by Dale M. Wilcox, not by yours truly.

A belated Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all.

Free book of poetry through 3/20/2018

Free with coupon code through 3/20/2018 "Of Pain and Ecstasy: Collected Poems"

My book of poems is FREE with coupon code KV32D, through March 20, 2018 in any eBook format, but ONLY at Smashwords. (I cannot create coupon codes for discounted or free books at the other retailers where my books are sold.) Make sure to download the actual full book rather than just the book preview sample which is also always available at the book's Smashwords page for this and all of my eBooks.

The book contains samples of my free verse, blank verse and sonnets spanning four decades. It is the smallest, most insignificant all my books, but nothing I've ever written or am likely to write is closer to my core.  To get your free copy, just click on the following link:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/181370.

For simple book trailers containing my reading of sample poems from this book as well an one new poem, you can click on any of the following links. You can also get previews from my short story collection (ebook and audiobook versions) as well as my general reference book on intellectual property law from Amazon by clicking on the book covers below.

Unsung Heroes: Remedios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX6w1Pwe7gI&t=109s

On Shattered Dreams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CV4fGZ2VA8&t=63s

On Fading Dreams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ4EVKhvEYQ

Central Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=757IZDfihJU&t=11s

Sample Sonnets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrGahdFd9Fs&t=5s

Extra: Unsung Heroes: Felipe (unpublished): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMhHLYK92Js

For information about most of my books, you can visit the following author's web pages:

Official Author's Web Page (with links to all current published works): http://victordlopez.com/index.html

Amazon Author's Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KMII74

You can also download a copy of my book of poems free of charge during this promotional period by clicking on the book cover below:

You can also preview my other ebooks and audiobook from the samples below from Amazon:

Book of Dreams: Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction Short Stories 1st edition free through 3/11/2018

For five days only (March 7-11 2018) you can download a copy of my Book of Dreams (first edition) free of charge in any of the leading eBook formats only from Smashwords with coupon code TG56G at checkout (entered automatically from the link below). Extended free previews are also available at any time from the same link for this and all of my books distributed through Smashwords.

From the Smashwords book page:

This collection of five science fiction and speculative fiction short stories probes the interrelationship between dreams and reality, the nature of reality itself, and the dangers attendant to the single-minded pursuit of wish fulfillment with its attendant unexpected and unwanted consequences. NOTE: The author's Mindscapes collection includes all of the stories in this book and five new ones.

What price would you pay to revisit a crossroad in your life when you had made a terrible, life altering mistake? Would you give up an unfulfilled life for the chance of virtual happiness in a computer-generated alternate reality? Would you sacrifice everything if you could attain absolute knowledge? If so, could you live with the knowledge you attained? It is said that no person is an island, but what if even the least among us is a god in his/her own right? If an alien visitor offered you a lifetime of health and the gift of telepathy in exchange for a small service, would you be quick to accept? And if consciousness utilizes only a small portion of our brain, what function does the larger, presumably unused portion actually serve? 

These are some of the questions explored in this collection of science fiction and speculative fiction short stories that probes the interrelationship between dreams and reality, the nature of reality itself, and the dangers attendant to the single-minded pursuit of wish fulfillment with its attendant unexpected and unwanted consequences. Most of the short stories published here were written and revised over a period of more than thirty years (1977- 2011) and, with the exception of "To Sleep, Perchance to Dream" have not been previously published. 

The author is an Associate Professor of Legal Studies at Hofstra University's Frank G. Zarb School of Business and has previously published seven non-fiction books through traditional publishers. His business law and legal environment textbooks have been used in colleges and universities throughout the United States since 1993. This is his first fiction collection. [Please note: the five stories in this collection and five new stories written from 2011-2014 are included in the author's new short story collection Mindscapes: Ten Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction Short Stories available in paperback and eBook versions through CreateSpace, Amazon and Smashwords and which which will also be released as an audiobook in June 2014 through Audible, iTunes and Amazon.

For a current list of my major scholarly publications, textbooks, trade books, short story and poetry collections, you can visit my official Author's page at http://victordlopez.com.

To download a copy of the book free of charge through 3/11/2018 click on this link:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/181335
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