Reforms now, from border to orchard.

Seattle Times ^ | September 18, 2005

[alessandrofiaschi]

U.S. immigration policy is untenable. The promised once-and-for-all reform of 1986, which granted certain undocumented workers amnesty and vowed stricter enforcement, was a dismal failure.

President George W. Bush 19 months ago proposed immigration reform that would permit workers to apply for legal residency — but with no path to citizenship. His announcement actually spurred an increase in illegal entry by immigrants hoping to get in before the reforms were enacted. But nothing happened. Though the president recently promised Arizonans he would work with their governor to secure the border with Mexico, his administration has all but abdicated leadership on the issue. Two administration officials last month canceled testimony before a Senate hearing on two competing immigration proposals.

In the meantime, citizens are patrolling the border, and the governors of Arizona and New Mexico — both Democrats — declared emergencies to free more money to deal with the effects of extensive illegal border crossings.

So far, two ideas in the U.S. Senate seem to be gaining traction. Though they conflict in fundamental ways, a meshing of both would be the best solution.

• Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., proposed the most pragmatic approach to dealing with immigrants already here without legal permission — believed to be as many as 15 million, mostly from Mexico and other Latin American countries.

They propose to permit those workers to pay up to a $2,000 fine and apply for a work visa, but they have to get in line behind others who migrated legally for a chance at citizenship.

• Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona proposed a bill that also would permit guest workers. But it would give visas only to those applying outside the United States. People here illegally would have to return home.

McCain's bill is more practical because it permits immigrants with jobs to legalize their status. The logistical acrobatics required by Cornyn's bill could encourage immigrants to stay hidden.

But Cornyn's bill provides enforcement teeth McCain's does not, including electronic-identification cards for guest workers, improved border-security technology and 10,000 more federal agents enforcing immigration laws at the border and at work sites nationwide.

President Bush, a former governor of a border state, must reassert himself in this issue, which is pushing border states and destination states to the breaking point.

The lack of enforcement of immigration laws from the border to the orchard or restaurant is what has created this impossible situation. The solution requires two things: taking responsibility for U.S. complicity in permitting industries to rely on cheaper undocumented migrant labor, and adamantly resolving that enforcement will be widespread and have teeth.

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company

[alessandrofiaschi]

[RegulatorCountry]

If unemployment were closing in on zero percent, with critical shortages of unskilled labor, I'd say work out some sort of documented guest worker plan.

But, we're not at full employment, and have no shortage of unskilled labor.

Between the deflationary aspects of Chinese imports and the deflationary aspects of illegal immigrant labor, I'm beginning to sense a pattern.

If it weren't for energy, health care and real estate, we'd be looking at something close to a deflationary economy overall, I'd be willing to wager.