What next for Immigration?
With the McCain/Kennedy Comprehensive Shamnesty bill dead, or at least in a vegetative state, what happens next for immigration and border security? I have no idea what the Senators have in store for the next piece of legislation, but one would hope that they learned from the multitude of mistakes that plagued the the last bill and the process the legislation was drafted.
First and foremost the backroom deals that brought the legislation to the floor to begin with is something that should be avoided. Harry Reid complained repeatedly about the amendments being offered up taking up so much time. Had the Bill gone through normal channels to the Senate floor those amendments would have been offered up and debated in Committee.Â
Secondly: There is absolutely no reason that everything must be included in one piece of legislation. Virtually everyone agrees that we must do something to address our border security. Build fences, add border patrol agents, improve methods to track foreigners in this country on various visa’s to ensure that they are complying with the terms of their visa. This is a national security issue made evident by the Jersey Jihadists and must be a top priority to law makers. There is no necessity to couple this with any other legislation, and doing so only delays our ability to gain operational control of our border and puts our national security at risk. Â
Thirdly: If Congress deems it necessary to expand or modify current temporary guest worker programs or create entirely new programs they can do so. In doing so however some provision must be included that provides background checks as well as a method to ensure they return to their home country when the time arises.
Finally the stickiest part of the whole debate is what to do with those already here. Realistically it is not possible to deport 12 million people. As law enforcement increases its efforts to enforce laws already on the books regarding employment of illegal immigrants, many will decide for themselves to return home. Those that choose to remain and are involved in criminal activity will eventually be caught. Deport them immediately after conviction and allow them to serve out their sentence in a jail cell provided by their home country.  There will still be a large number of illegal immigrants that are here that have broken no other law, are hard working, and only seek to provide a future for their families. I have absolutely nothing against that, and think that a path to citizenship could be offered to those who meet that criteria and have made an effort to assimilate into American society.  That path to citizenship however should not put them ahead of those who have spent years in the process of emigrating here by legal means. Â
These are steps that Congress can and should take to address the illegal immigration problem in this country. A lasting solution however is not going to come out of Washington DC. The failed socialist economic policies of Mexico and other third world countries is what drive the poor out of their country and into the U.S. So the only lasting solution can only come when those 3rd world countries adopt economic policies that will provide their population the ability to raise their families with the hope and opportunities they deserve.
Posted by Darrell
June 8th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
The discouraging thing Darrell is that there is no movement in these third world countries away from socialism.
My wife is from Latin America and has told me many times that when anything went wrong in her country, there would be rioting in front of the US embassy.
The corrupt leaders of her country blamed everything on the US and the people believed it.
Just like liberals here blame everything on the “rich” and the people believe it
Hell, half of America is socialist (the Democratic Party)
Something for nothing is just so seductive to a certain mindset…
June 8th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
[...] What next for Immigration? Cross Posted from Hang Right Politics [...]
June 8th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
What’s next is vigilance because their intent it to bring it up again “at a later date.” I put up some arguments, too, added a couple of links, one to the sellouts’ info and another to some steps that should be taken by Congress but which won’t.
MFG, I’ve been saying that for awhile but nobody has been listening. Keep saying it though. Perhaps, sooner or later, people will listen. The facts are on our side but getting heard over the detractors is very hard to accomplish.
June 8th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Darrell, you and many, many more commentators say, “Realistically it is not possible to deport 12 million people.” Would you care to tell us on what you base that opinion. Do we not have enough planes, trains, and busses? That is a silly statement. Maybe we can’t deport that many in one year, but we certainly CAN deport that number of people over 10 or 12 years.
Beside that, if you make it almost impossible for them to find work, then a lot will go home on their own. Also, if you enact legislation that says that children born to non-citizens will NOT become American citizens automatically, you take away another incentive for the illegals to stay here. Then take away ALL, I mean 100%, of the government assistence that goes to non-citizens. More will leave. Make being here illegally a felony and a aggravating factor for anyone convicted of any crime in the United States. That could lead to death sentences for some criminals that now spend years in jail on my dime and then get parolled into the community. Then execute the sentences, of course.
It is just simply NOT TRUE that we can not deport any number of people that we need to deport. Our citizenry may or may not have the cajones to do it, but we can do it.
As for bringing the bill up again, this same bill will not come up again this year unless Harry Reid knows for sure and certain that he has the votes to invoke cloture. He will not subject himself to this humiliation again of his own free will. A different bill on the same subject will have to start from scratch and will not be ready this year. Of course Bush has already publicly said that Reid should bring the bill up again, and Bush will be pushing for him to do that. Thing is that Reid does not want to subject himself to the same fate as Bush, so he will tell Bush that he, Bush, will have to absolutely guarantee some minimum number of Republican votes in the Senate before old Harry will try again.
With both Romney and Fred Thompson beating the drums against the bill, along with Tancredo, the issue will not die in the minds of the public, and votes will harden on both sides ensuring little or no change in the tally until after the 2008 elections. The only real problem is that Bush will now order a slow down in enforcement and will simply refuse to build the fence that is already authorized and refuse to add the additional Border Patrolmen that are already authorized.
June 8th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I agree, Darrell, that there are things we want and they don’t have to be in the same place. Tighten up the borders first and stop the influx. Then let’s talk about a guest worker program BUT we have to go after the employers that hire the illegals. The ones who patiently wait to come in legally should get first dibs at those jobs. I agree w/ Caleb, make it hard for them to find work and there will be no reason to for them to keep flowing across the border.
June 8th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Caleb, none of that can be done in the real world
It will take a Constitutional amendment to keep the children of illegals from being citizens when they are born in the US. What are the odds of this happening here, in the real world?
Absolute zero, and you know it
Twelve million illegals can’t be deported because of the family breakups. Who will take care of their children who are American citizens and cannot be deported? The Martians? Do you think the female voters of this country will support a policy of separating small children from their parents like this? THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN IN THIS SITUATION.
Grow up
Wake up
Let’s find real world solutions to real world problems
June 9th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Twelve million illegals can’t be deported because of the family breakups. Who will take care of their children who are American citizens and cannot be deported? Comment by MFG
They need not be separated, but can go back home with their parents and come back when they are age. If we don’t stop this anchor baby fraud, we’re finished as a nation.Their parents are free to take their children with them, as most of them assuredly would. That is a straw man argument designed to appeal to feel good emotion. No other country in the world would put up with this crap.
June 9th, 2007 at 3:29 am
Caleb,
I said we could not realistically deport 12 million people.. I stand by what I said.. Yes it is physically possible to move what ever number of people from point A to point B. But deportation entails a bit more than acting as a travel agent. We must follow established legal processes, which by the way, we are deporting these people because they failed to follow the established legal process. We don’t want to be called hypocrites now do we. Part of that deportation process includes a hearing. These hearings do not take an awful lot of time individually, but 12 million of them… You had better pack a lunch, because It’s gonna take a while.
I agree completely with you about removing the incentives for illegals to come/stay here. here. Remove the incentive and a good portion of those already here will pack up and go home.
I need to do some research on the 14th ammendment and any supreme court rulings on it before I make any comments. I do know that one of the authors of the ammendment included the “jurisdiction” phrase to specificaly exclude those who were born here by alien & Foreign parents from automaticaly becoming citizens.
June 9th, 2007 at 7:58 am
I do know that one of the authors of the ammendment included the “jurisdiction†phrase to specificaly exclude those who were born here by alien & Foreign parents from automaticaly becoming citizens.
Comment by Darrell — June 9, 2007 @ 3:29 am
There are legal scholars that that have argued that the “jurisdiction” clause would preclude offspring from illegals from becoming citizens because these illegals are still under the jurisdiction of their homeland, as they are not legally here.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:01 am
subject to the jurisdiction therof
June 9th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Make them self deport… we have what they want… jobs and money… cut those off, they go bye bye. That’s where we start. We do that while we’re securing the border, then we can talk about what’s left over.
Start penalizing the sanctuary cities, not just the avowed ones, but all of them. Penalize the businesses in those cities as well. When the businesses start losing, they’ll ditch the illegals real quick and put pressure on the city officials to start “cleaning up”.
I know, I know, it’s easier said than done but we have to start somewhere.
June 9th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Just read the first sentence of the 14th Amendment, and that should tell anyone all they need to know about citizenship by right of birth:
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside.”
Sounds pretty explicit to me. And the jurisdiction clause seems like a red herring as well. If a person is currently within the country, then he/she is by definition subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. If illegal immigrants weren’t subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S., then how could the government justify going after them in the first place?
This simple fact, that there are thousands of children of illegal immigrants who are U.S. citizens, is the reason why mass deportation is legally, as well as practically, unworkable.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:22 am
[...] earlier post What next for Immigration? generated several comments about the 14th ammendment and how it applies to the illegal immigration [...]