Fix Immigration. It’s What Voters Want.

New York Times ^ | December 28, 2016 | Tom Cotton

[reaganaut1]

Donald J. Trump smashed many orthodoxies on his way to victory, but immigration was the defining issue separating him from his primary opponents and Hillary Clinton. President-elect Trump now has a clear mandate not only to stop illegal immigration, but also to finally cut the generation-long influx of low-skilled immigrants that undermines American workers.

Yet many powerful industries benefit from such immigration. They’re arguing that immigration controls are creating a low-skilled labor shortage.

“We’re pretty much begging for workers,” Tom Nassif, the chief executive of Western Growers, a trade organization that represents farmers, said on CNN. A fast-food chain founder warned, “Our industry can’t survive without Mexican workers.”

These same industries contend that stricter immigration enforcement will further shrink the pool of workers and raise their wages. They argue that closing our borders to inexpensive foreign labor will force employers to add benefits and improve workplace conditions to attract and keep workers already here.

I have an answer to these charges: Exactly.

Higher wages, better benefits and more security for American workers are features, not bugs, of sound immigration reform. For too long, our immigration policy has skewed toward the interests of the wealthy and powerful: Employers get cheaper labor, and professionals get cheaper personal services like housekeeping. We now need an immigration policy that focuses less on the most powerful and more on everyone else.

[Regulator]

Not so sure about that statement. Best number I have is that about 13% of the US population was born somewhere else. That’s too much for us to assimilate. Suggest we have negative immigration with respect to those here illegally - as you say, enforce existing law. THEN suggest further that we eliminate H1B visas - not needed with our lousy labor participation rate. Further suggest we repeal The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952,The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, The Immigration Act of 1990 and cease all immigration for a period of 20-40 years. Nothing, none, nada, zero immigration during that period then let’s see where we are after that. We don’t need immigration now. We’re full up.

Agree vehemently with ALL of that. Except one tiny clarification: we were full up in 1972. Recall we were told then we were "overpopulated" and that we had to abort our children to Save the Planet.

Oops. Never mind. Now we are supposed to welcome the tidal wave of aliens who a) never had anything to do with our country and b) mostly hate us anyway

[polymuser]

Not fixed, but enforced at state and fed levels. Employers of illegals heavily fined. Illegals deported, criminals first. The Wall built, coast to coast. All business signs and non-language school classes and materials in English. English-only spoken in workplaces. English-only on governmental forms.

[SuperLuminal]

Step #1: Build the wall.
Step #2: Cut off all welfare pmts or other subsidies.
Step #3: Eliminate the “anchor baby” concept;
Step #4: Round & deport up every illegal (of any age or origin).
Step #5: If Step #4 seems to be failing, impose a bounty on the the remaining illegals.
Step #6: Return to the immigration policies of 1920-1960.

[Pelham]

Occupied California needs deportation and lots of it.

and repeal of the 1965 Immigration Act. Or else the rest of you will surely become what California now is.

[Pelham]

“We deciphered their Navajo code ten years ago:
‘Our immigration system is broken. We need comprehensive immigration reform.’ = We need amnesty and millions more docile, cheap, illegal alien laborers.”

that’s been the Michael Medved/ Hugh Hewitt/ Salem Radio/ GOPe party line for years. Sure surprised them when Trump steamrolled their precious No Border RINO candidates.

Oddly enough Tom Cotton was a favorite of the Salem Weasels and he was also a Sea Island attendee, where the GOPe plotted Trump’s destruction.

I’m glad to see Tom Cotton pen this piece, but I don’t trust him.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

And for those who try to obey our laws we send them off on a 5 to 10 year journey through Bureaucrat Hell.

True.

We also put weird and unequal restrictions on temporary visas as well.

Grandma would like a 30 day visa to come to her granddaughter's (American Citizen) wedding. She is asked if she owns a house in her native country and if she has a job. Grandma owns house but, as she is in her eighties, does not have a job. Visa denied.

Citizens of other countries just fill out a card on the airplane and get an automatic 90 day visa.

[HarleyD]

...the problems are with immigration law enforcement

Correction. There is nothing wrong with our law enforcement. There is something wrong with our judicial system that allows these people to stay.

[GOPJ]

I want to ‘fix it’ by sending the illegals home.

If some squatter broke into my home and refused to leave the solution would be for the police to remove the person NOT for me to get them a job and collect rent.

[central_va]

I have a huge problem with the amount if immigration since 1965. We need to stop all immigration for a long long time.

[ObamahatesPACoal]

David Vitter & Jeff Sessions moving on, is a big problem in the Senate. It’s good that Tom Cotton is there and got schooled by Steve King in the 113th congress when he was in the House.

[meyer]

And welfare shouldn’t be offered to non-citizens.

That is a primary reason that so many are here. Cut off the free ride and they will self-evict.