While I was taking my morning coffee and watching Fox and Friends, an interesting news story caught my attention. A business in Bellingham, Washington was raided by the Immigration Service, in their sweep they detained twenty eight illegal aliens that had counterfeit social security cards. The following morning 100 to 150 Bellingham residents were standing in line for the job vacancies.
The illegal alien situation, despite stricter enforcement on the southern border continues to be a serious problem. It not only has a very serious impact of funding for education, medical, social services, social security, and law enforcement it also poses a serious threat to our national security. It is likely that the financial difficulties in the Great Bear State would be greatly reduced if the cost of maintaining programs for those that are illegally in the United States were eliminated. Currently it is estimated that there are 12 to 20 million illegal aliens in the United States. Just that estimation figure indicates that no one knows how serious the problem has become.
Fifty six years ago, President Dwight Eisenhower (R) became the 34th President of the United States. President Eisenhower was the Allied Supreme Commander in Europe during World War II. At that time, it was estimated that there were three million illegal aliens in the United States stemming from our southern border. The President acted quickly and decisively with only 1,075 Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement agencies. He appointed General Joseph Swing as the new commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. General Swing and the President had attended West Point together and were close friends.
There was some resistance to "Operation Wetback" led by Texas Senator Lyndon Johnson (President Johnson) due to the cotton farmers in Texas that depended on Mexican labor.

With the small force of agents, they swept across Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. In mid July, on the first day of the raids, over 5,000 illegal aliens were picked up. In the following days of the operation an average 1,000 illegals per day were detained. It is estimated by INS that 1,300,000 illegals were returned or fled back to Mexico to avoid apprehension during the operation. During "Operation Wetback", those being returned to Mexico were not taken to the border and released. They were placed on trains and taken to the interior of Mexico. A portion of those retained were placed aboard ships and taken to southern Mexico.

In our era, it would not be political correct to call an operation modeled after the "Operation Wetback" the same name. Perhaps, it could be called "Operation Re-Patriotism" because we are returning them to their roots and their host country. Personally, I think it would have more impact if we called it "Operation Wetback". When they came out to march in our city streets, waving the Mexican flag, they could be easily recognized, and checked for residency. Those not in compliance with our citizenship requirements would be immediately returned home to their loved ones, in Mexico. I have to wonder how many jobs that would create in the United States and the positive effect it would have on our national budget.