Solving the Immigration Impasse (Arnold redefines Amnesty)

JoinArnold.com - Schwarzenegger Campaign Website ^ | August, 2003 | Arnold Schwarzenegger

[Sabertooth]

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Solving the Immigration Impasse

Summary:

Immigration has been the engine of California's economic prosperity and the richness of our culture. Almost 9 million Californians were born in a foreign country and nearly 40% of all households in our state speak a second language in addition to English. We have a proud tradition of being one of the most ethnically diverse places in the world.

But it is important to ensure that new immigrants enter California the right way, so that they can get on a path toward fully participating, and contributing, to the California economy. And we should make sure that we do so without undermining important national security protections.

Full Policy:

There are approximately 8 million undocumented immigrants in the United States; 2.5 million reside in California. The costs of providing social services to these individuals and incarcerating illegal immigrants is staggering - easily exceeding $3 billion a year.

Clearly, the federal government must do a much better job of enforcing the security of our borders, especially in the aftermath of 9/11. Washington must also provide more money to border states like California which ultimately shoulder the burden and the costs associated with illegal immigration. And Washington should pursue a responsible immigration policy that offers undocumented immigrants a path to permanent legal status.

As someone who came to the United States thirty-five years ago looking for opportunity, I understand the challenges immigrants face and I will work hard to elevate the debate on this important issue.

Fair Reimbursement for Illegal Immigration Costs

Immigration is a national responsibility and California should not be left to shoulder the massive burden of providing public services to illegal immigrants.

Last year, California only received $220 million to offset the costs of keeping illegal immigrants in jail. This is insufficient, and as governor of California, I will work with Congress, President Bush, and the Governors of other border states to correct this situation.

As Governor I will:

• Organize a coalition of states most impacted by immigration to lobby Congress. This coalition will include Texas, New York, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, in addition to California. Together, we represent 183 electoral votes. If we speak with a unified voice, Republicans and Democrats in Washington will listen.

• Seek reimbursement from Washington for health care and education costs associated with illegal immigration.

Putting Immigrants on a Path toward Citizenship.

It is important to ensure that new immigrants enter California the right way, so that they can get on a path toward fully participating, and contributing, to the California economy. And we should make sure that we do so without undermining important national security protections.

As Governor, I will:

• Aggressively lobby Washington to set a more responsible policy for addressing the undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.

• Deportation is not an option. We need to find a way to legitimize these individuals and get them on a path toward legal residency status in the United States.
• Let me be clear: I do not support an amnesty program. The last time we tried that in the late 80s it didn't work, and there's little reason to think it would work now.

• I am encouraged by the approach laid out by Senator McCain to provide a clear path for legitimizing undocumented immigrants who currently live their lives in the shadows. McCain's bill S 1461 - The Border Security and Immigration Act of 2003
  • A new H-4A visa for immigrants seeking temporary employment with important protections to ensure that immigrant workers are not exploited and that Californians are not displaced by unscrupulous employers;

  • A new H-4B visa for undocumented immigrants who entered the country before August 2003, have held a job since that time, and do not have a criminal record.

  • The opportunity for holders of these new visas to gain legal permanent residency status.

• " Senator McCain's plan contains the key principles that should guide any proposal to solve the immigration impasse:
  • U.S. Employer Benefits: A market driven employment process and an easy, effective means to confirm employment eligibility;

  • U.S. Worker Protections: Initial availability of jobs only to U.S. workers and periodic review to ensure that U.S. workers are not displaced;

  • Foreign Worker Protections: Applicability of all U.S. labor standards and portability so that workers may change jobs without jeopardizing their immigration status.

Punish Immigrant Smugglers and Human Traffickers

Human traffickers and smugglers exploit and endanger immigrants as they violate our criminal and immigration laws. As Governor, I will crack down hard on those who engage in illegal human smuggling:

• Traffickers and smugglers should be prosecuted as organized crime syndicates. If their schemes result in death of immigrants, they should be eligible for the death penalty.

• The federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2001 establishes a special visa, the T-visa, for immigrants who assist in investigations. As governor, I will order state law enforcement officials to work with their federal counterparts to prioritize and process applications for T-visas expeditiously.

Promote English and Advance Citizenship

Immigrants who are not proficient in English pay a price: they earn 17% less than immigrants of similar backgrounds, experience, and education who are proficient in English.

Likewise, when English is the primary language taught in schools, immigrant children show marked improvement. In June 1998, California's voters gave a 61% landslide to public policy entrepreneur Ron Unz's Proposition 227 outlawing bilingual education. By the end of the following school year, immigrant 2nd graders in those California schools that were already in compliance with Prop. 227 were reading at the 35th percentile, compared to the 19th percentile for those in schools that were still bilingual.

As Californians bounded in diversity, we share a common language and culture regardless of our backgrounds.

As Governor, I will:

• Work to improve education for all Californians and especially to help new immigrants learn English so they could participate and prosper as Californians.
• Restore meaning to citizenship, so that all Americans, new and old, share the same commitment to tolerance, equality, and compassion.
• Work with the federal government to provide expedited consideration of citizenship applications to immigrants whocomplete advanced civic education and English immersion programs.

SB 60 - Driver's Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

I am an immigrant. I waited for ten years to get my American citizenship. And I know first-hand how immigrants who come to this country and obey the laws have struggled to achieve their dreams.

But we should not invite fraud or undermine law enforcement. Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the California Sheriff's Association, and the federal government have all expressed security concerns over this measure, and in a time of heightened national security, we should not undermine our nation's immigration laws.

Unfortunately, Governor Davis decided to put his political interests above the people's interest. He signed SB 60 into law even though he vetoed similar legislation before, citing security concerns. But SB 60 actually contains fewer protections than the bill Davis vetoed a year ago.

Under SB 60, there is simply no way to verify that a drivers' license applicant is actually who he says he is or whether he is a criminal or fugitive from justice.

As Governor I will:

Work to repeal SB 60 as quickly as possible

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[Sabertooth]

How many millions of illegals do you expect will be deported?

A few hundred thousand should do it.

Most of the rest will deport themsleves.

Who will hunt them down? Will dogs be used to hunt them? Who will deport them?

Dogs? You're talking like a hyperbolic Democrat.

Agents of the federal government will apprehend and deport Illegal Aliens, in accordance with U.S. law. They aren't hard at all to find, really. The IRS knows where hundreds of thousands of them work.

When will the deportation start?

Three to six months after the announcement of zero tolerance for Illegal Aliens. We will compassionately give Illegals with a conscience and common sense a window of opportunity to beat the rush.

What about the illegals with children who are US citizens?

They will have the same option as American citizens relocating to a foreign nation: they can take their children with them, or they can leave them in America.

The federal government should not assert primacy over children of Illegal Aliens who are American citizens.

Congress should also pass legislation nullifying the anchor baby phenomenon in the future, as it is a magnet for Illegal Aliens.

How much will it cost?

Whatever it takes. A lot less than the handwringers imagine, a lot less than a wall or militarized border, and a lot less than the current financial drain of Illegal Aliens upon our federal, state, and local governments.

How many people will die?

Wouldn't that depend on the degree of lawlessness exhibited by Illegal Aliens in avoiding deportation? Their choice.

Will the anti-deportation riots start in Los Angeles, or San Francisco or El Paso or the whole southwest....?

The failure-to-deport riots started in Los Angeles in 1992. More than half of those arrested in the Rodney King riots were Latino, a substantial number of them Illegal Aliens.

In your pro-Amnesty handwringing you are advocating a surrender to Illegal Aliens. Amnesty and surrender will not deter future waves of this invasion; more Illegals will only be encouraged by the failure of will that you advocate.

If you sincerely believe that a 2,000 mile wall or a militarized border is a feasibility, you haven't computed the number of troops involved (hundreds of thousands, unless they're under shoot-to-kill orders) or the costs, which would run into the tens of billions annually.

A highly motivated self-deportation of Illegal Aliens is definitely the least expensive and most peaceful way to go, in conjunction with employer crack-downs and Congressional legislation relieving the states of any obligation to provide services or payouts to Illegals.

Once this program is undertaken, the number of Illegals heading south will overtake the number coming north. The effect of this will be to dissuade more would-be Illgals from even making the attempt, tipping the balance of border crossings by Illegals ever further in our favor.

Amnesty, as History and common sense inform us, isn't a solution to Illegal Aliens, it's a perpetuation of the problem.

[Consort]

Three to six months after the announcement of zero tolerance for Illegal Aliens.

When can we expect this to happen? Who will declare it?

[Consort]

It will happen just like you say it will, or amnesty will be granted. One or the other. Which will it be in your opinion — deportation or amnesty?

[Sabertooth]

When can we expect this to happen? Who will declare it?

Probably someone not yet elected, so I don't know when it will happen.

President Bush is a colossal disappointment in this regard.

It will happen just like you say it will, or amnesty will be granted. One or the other. Which will it be in your opinion - deportation or amnesty?

I think it's a actually a three-way toss up. More of the do-nothing same is also a possibility.

I think a lot of Republicans think they can out-Democrat the Democrats, and that's a danger. I think an Amnesty would cause a massive disaffection among millions of Republicans with the party.

I'm optimistic, though, that things will come to a head this year. Eight of ten Democrat Presidential candidates have come out for Amnesty. At this writing, there are about a half dozen different Amnesty proposals in Congress, from both parties

Yet this is all contrary to the will of the American people, who are consistently opposed to Illegal Aliens in numbers from 60% to %70. The hope is in We the People.

There will be ballot referenda opposing Illegals in California and Arizona next year, and they will win overwhelmingly.

Hopefully, Republican politicians will get the message, and it won't be necessary to throw them out of office because the Amnestied Ilegal Aliens.

[Regulator]

Thought you signed off. Apparently you can't even keep your word to do that.

So one last time: take your name calling and self righteous BS and...put it where the sun don't shine. Go run your game on someone else.

[pogo101]

I didn't give you my word, bigot, either to sign off or to do anything else. Keep your fantasies about shoving things to yourself, along with your nativist nonsense. Want more? I got more. Don't? Then shut it.

[Regulator]

Keep up the name calling. That way, everyone can see who you are. Why not just split from the forum? So far, that's all you've contributed.

[pogo101]

Name-calling? I called you is "bigot" and "nativist" -- justly, in response to your comments that Arnold and Cruz are "illegal aliens" and that, substantially for that reason, you were going to "vote for the American." You also posted yesterday to the effect that we shouldn't elect anyone who is foreign-born, because we have enough good people who WERE born here. That's nativist bigotry. In contrast, I have this funny little principle that the best person for the job is the best person for the job, regardless of country of birth. So much for the notion that I "keep up" any "name calling."

You, on the other hand, spewed "jerk," accused me of being a member of PUSH and MEChA, a "leftist," and of being a "bigot" myself.

So lemme get this straight:

I call you a bigot, for the reasons above.
You call me a bigot (with NO explanation) -- PLUS at least four other derogations.

But to you, I, the one who "called" fewer "names," am the big "name-caller" amongst the two of us.

Riiiiight.

[republicofdavis]

"I notice that none of the usual pro-Arnold, conservative hating crowd have tried to respond to these facts. But, that is not unusual. I notice that in all of these debates they never respond to facts. Instead, they either say "a vote for McC is a vote for Busty" or "McC can't win"."

Hogwash. There has been much fact-specific debate on many threads, just as there a great deal of thoughtless, inane, rambling, cryptic (or as above) stereotypical remarks on both sides.

Everyone is speculating here on how they think things are going to turn out. Here's how I see it:

1) Tom would be the best Governor;
2)He will not win. I believe that strongly but it is just my opinion, based on many years of political observation in California.
3) Arnold would be a damn sight better than Bustamente or Davis, and would lead to more people being willing to consider Republican principles.

I don't know any of these things for certain, but I believe them. And as for addressing the facts, Arnold is not as strong on immigration as I would prefer. Bustamente would be much worse. Those are my choices.

[republicofdavis]

I think you missed the point of Regulator's comment. See, even if Busty was born here, it doesn't matter because his parents weren't and even if he has been naturalized or granted amnesty or whatever, it doesn't matter because the 14th Amendment doesn't allow children of non-citizen parents to be naturalized even though everyone accepts that it does . . .

or something like that

[pogo101]

PM response on the way, thanks.

[kennyo]

Schwarzenegger is acting from both sides of his mouth.

I don't think so,Sabe.He's talking out his mouth and his ass.One's as ugly as the other.

[Pelham]

and sunshine, too

[Pelham]

Can't wait to hear Austrian-Accented Spanish. It sure didn't work for Emperor Maximilian.

Lol. You're right, somebody ought to tell Arnold about what happens to Those Who Don't Learn From History. Maria will be taking out a bigger policy on him.

[Afronaut]

Bump for the eyes of Rino Traitors to the decency of the U.S.

[truthkeeper]

I'm glad to see you are supporting Tom. I knew there was a reason I always liked you.

How about a little bump for truth for this thread?

[rintense]

BUMP for truth!

[truthkeeper]

Volley bump.
Check out this thread with more of that messy truth stuff in it:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/989405/posts?page=62

[Content Provider]

Thread necromancy ping for your amusement.