Isn't It Time The US Treats Immigration Like Other Countries? Look At Belgium And Mexico. You Will Be Amazed.

Want Immigration Reform? Check Out What Belgium Is Doing

By Brian Anderson on December 17, 2013 Subscribe to Brian Anderson's Feed

Famous for its waffles and Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgium can now lay claim to having some of the toughest citizenship requirements in the world. So tough in fact, that not one single person will become a citizen in 2013.

According to La Libre Belgique, a Belgian daily newspaper, new rules make it virtually impossible for applicants to pass muster. The lower house of Parliament, which approves or denies applications, has adopted strict new standards that makes becoming a citizen more of a privilege than a formality. I wanted to read all of the rules, but they are in French, so I’m just going by what I read on the BBC website.

France-without-the-attitude, apparently only wants people who can be an asset to the country. What a novel concept. Senior MP (think congressman) Georges Dallemagne says, “It’s not for MPs to examine tens of thousands of naturalization requests every year apart from a few exceptions where the person can contribute to Belgium’s standing in the world.”

At the heart of this strict code is what they call “exceptional merit.” What this means is that applicants must have proof that they excel in fields that the government covets like science and athletics. You can also become a Belgian citizen by having social or cultural international renown. I’m assuming this means being a famous author, artist, or entertainer. Basically, they just want the leeches and scumbags to hit the road.

Contrast that with U.S. naturalization that grants citizenship to one million immigrants every year. Our standards are so low that even the requirement that the applicant speak, read, and write English are a joke. All they have to do is memorize a couple of questions and the government thinks they are fluent English-speakers. We don’t make immigrants prove they are an asset to society, just that they aren’t that much of a detraction from it.

We also give out around a million green cards every year. We even have a green card lottery that gives out 50,000 permanent resident visas annually. All these immigrants have to do is not kill anyone for 5 years and they too can become a US citizen.

And let’s not forget that our wonderful members of Congress are trying to push amnesty on us, which will give 11-20 million illegal aliens a path to citizenship. I think it is safe to say that these millions of people flocking here and becoming citizens are not the world’s best and brightest.

People want to know why America is slipping in international test score rankings. Hell, we’re slipping in every category from technological advancement to quality of life. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we’re diluting our citizenry with the cast-offs from third-world nations. It’s kind of like the plot for Idiocracy in which the dumbing down of a society has disastrous consequences for each generation to follow.

Exceptional countries don’t remain so by filling its borders with unremarkable people. Not only does our immigration policy send us toward a less-than-super power status, it is sure to rob us of our cultural heritage, as immigrants become the majority. Belgium gets it with their new tough standards. Too bad our leaders can’t see the same thing.