Mr. Trump wants citizens of other nations to know that there is a

"Mr. Trump wants citizens of other nations to know that there is a legal process that needs to be followed, and that that process is the only way to come to America." Thus spoke Mercedes Schlapp, counselor and voice for the administration, declaring not only the policy of a leader but the philosophy of a nation that guards its gates. In these words lies a truth ancient as kingdoms themselves: that a land must have rules, and that those who seek to enter must honor those rules, lest chaos overtake order and discord triumph over peace.

The origin of this wisdom is found in the story of nations since the dawn of time. Every tribe, every city, every empire has drawn boundaries around itself, not to deny the stranger, but to preserve the safety and harmony of its people. To enter legally is to show respect—to recognize that a home has a door, and that the door must be knocked upon, not broken down. Schlapp’s words remind us that immigration is not merely a matter of movement, but of law, dignity, and fairness, where all who seek passage must do so by the same standard.

History offers us examples. Consider the days of Ellis Island, when millions arrived on America’s shores, weary from voyages, seeking hope. They passed through examinations, inspections, and the slow machinery of law, for the young republic understood that its greatness lay not in endless openness, but in ordered welcome. Those who came through the process were granted not only entry but legitimacy, the blessing of beginning life anew under the protection of the law. It was this process—sometimes slow, often difficult—that transformed strangers into citizens, and migrants into builders of the nation.

Yet Schlapp’s words also carry a tone of warning. For in every age, there are those who would bypass the process, who would take the path not of law but of shadow. And while compassion calls us to see the suffering of the displaced, wisdom demands that disorder must not become the foundation of a people. A nation without borders ceases to be a nation; a law not enforced ceases to be a law. Thus, the call for a legal process is not cruelty, but a guard against chaos. It is the insistence that fairness cannot exist if rules are abandoned, that justice cannot live where law is ignored.

But we must not forget the human heart. The legal process is not meant to be a wall forever, but a door through which one may enter with dignity. If that door is too narrow, too burdened by injustice or delay, it risks becoming a tool of exclusion rather than of fairness. Here lies the tension: to uphold law while tempering it with mercy, to guard the nation while still offering refuge. For just as America is a land of order, it is also a land of promise, built by those who once were strangers too.

The lesson is therefore twofold. First, respect the law, for it is the framework that holds a nation upright. Do not scorn the process, for it is the safeguard of fairness, the assurance that all are judged by the same measure. But second, work to ensure that the process itself is just, humane, and accessible—so that it is not merely a barrier, but a pathway of hope for those who come with honest hearts and willing hands.

What practical steps must we take? As citizens, we must insist on both the rule of law and the spirit of compassion. Support fair immigration systems that neither abandon order nor extinguish mercy. See the stranger not as an invader, but as a potential neighbor, yet demand that they come through the doorway of law, not the breach of disorder. And as leaders, shape policies that balance the strength of borders with the openness of a people who know their history was forged by immigrants who entered through the gates of process and perseverance.

So let Schlapp’s words be remembered as both shield and guide: a nation’s door must be opened by law, not forced by will. For only then can those who enter dwell in peace, and those who welcome them trust that the covenant of justice still stands firm. A home built on law endures; a nation faithful to its process may yet preserve both order and hope for generations to come.