Of course it is. Any legislation that legalizes the status of those who broke our laws by entering our country illegally and allows them to stay and work here is amnesty. We must not only prevent the Democrats and some moderate Republicans from hijacking the meaning of the word amnesty, but the public must be made aware about the true impact of an amnesty.
The Heritage Foundation concluded that the cost of amnesty would be $2.6 trillion just for increased entitlement program costs. And the number of additional LEGAL immigrants who would join those who were the recipients of amnesty through chain migration, i.e., family reunification, would approach 70 million over a 20-year period, assuming there are only 12 million illegal aliens.
Paul calls them undocumented workers in his speech. Words have meanings. The Democrats and the mainstream media have hijacked the language surrounding the immigration issue to the point that we had Michael Chertoff, the Secretary of Homeland Security and our nation’s top immigration official at the time, testifying before Congress using the term “undocumented workers” to describe illegal aliens. John McCain and Barack Obama studiously avoided the term “amnesty” to describe their comprehensive immigration reform plans and despite the evidence, baldly declared that it was not an amnesty. Instead, they used such euphemisms as “getting to the back of the line,” “an earned path to citizenship,” and “coming out of the shadows.” The Democrats and pro-amnesty crowd know full well that the American people are against amnesty, hence the avoidance of the “A” word.
The illegals will have a probationary legal status that will ensure that they pay taxes and stop freeloading.
Most of them are at the bottom of the economic ladder. They will pay little or no income taxes. In fact, they will receive money from the government in the form of EITC. Once they start paying payroll taxes, they will be entitled to Medicare, SS, and Medicaid. No doubt other benefits like food stamps will be provided. And what about Obamacare? Immigrants, legal and illegal, are disproportionately on the welfare rolls.
Will Rand Paul allow them to be reunited with their families? The Heritage Foundation concluded that the cost of amnesty would be $2.6 trillion just for increased entitlement program costs. And the number of additional LEGAL immigrants who would join those who were the recipients of amnesty through chain migration, i.e., family reunification, would approach 70 million over a 20-year period, assuming there are only 12 million illegal aliens.
And they can still be deported a few years down the road if there’s enough political support to do it.
There isn't the support now for the mass deportation of 12 to 20 million illegal aliens. And what do you think will happen if it is announced that we are going to have this amnesty? We will, like the last time in 1986, be flooded with illegal aliens coming in to take advantage of the amnesty.
What's the urgency about legalizing the status of those already here? We have 23 million Americans looking for full-time employment. We will just add to the competition for jobs reducing wages even further. Add to this the 1.2 million legal immigrants we bring in annually.