Curmudgeon's Corner

Immigration Bill Being Prepared

Posted by Al Campbell on May 4, 2010

Economy, Political, Quality of Life

Congress is going to work on immigration and the Democrats have pretty well framed their bill.  This is, of course, a ‘lightning-rod’ issue especially since Arizona poked its finger in the eye of the Feds who have not been terribly diligent about their responsibilities in this regard.

There has been much talk about ‘amnesty’ being a part of whatever passes Congress, and that appears to be one of the seven main points that appear so far.  Those points are these –

• Enforce borders by adding to people and equipment available
• Free up jails by deporting illegals currently held
• Verify workers by issuing ‘fraud-resistant’ ID cards
• Fine employers that knowingly hire illegals
• Legalize immigrants already here that are estimated at about 12 million
• Legalize spouses who are now married to U.S. citizens
• Amend visas to smooth the flow of workers through provisional visas

The amnesty measure is present and the process would involve a criminal background check, and the payment of any fees and taxes owed.  Then the immigrants would be able to apply for legal resident status after eight years by demonstrating they are able to speak the English language among other things.

I am not sure there is any path to solving the illegal immigrant issue that doesn’t somehow include a process for those who are now present to be absorbed into our society in a legal manner.  That having been said, my fear is that other parts of this bill are simply intended as the smoke screen that will get us conservatives to be quiet so this can be passed.

The issue has been with us for some time, and the government’s assurances have fallen far short of what they said they would do.  We have no effective border enforcement today in too many areas.  The flow of drugs and illegals across our southern borders is simply unimaginable and unconscionable.  We seem afraid of Mexico when its own immigration laws are far stricter than whatever has been proposed here.  We permit border incursions by Mexico’s police and military apparatus.  We talk a big game and fail to deliver time and again.

If this bill can be made ironclad so far as enforcement, I can live with it; if it is anything less, we will simply have been ‘had’ by our government once again. And, by the time we come to understand which it is, it will be too late to do anything about this if it was a politically-correct ruse.