Posted on 11/28/2005 5:39:48 PM PST by MRMEAN
Republicans in Congress who are up for reelection in 2006 are feeling the heat from their GOP base to crack down on illegal migration. Many of them want President Bush to assist them by beefing up border security. Try as he might, that's not his first choice. Up to now, border security has been a lesser immigration priority for a president who once said that those who enter the US illegally are simply trying to "provide for their families" and "put food on the table" - as if opening the border to any job seeker were merely a humanitarian matter. In these days of Al Qaeda-style terrorism, the humane act would be to have well-regulated borders and better law enforcement against the thousands of employers who hire undocumented workers.
Without first showing the border can be secured enough to drastically reduce illegal migration, the president's other priorities such as a "guest worker" program should not be implemented.
Yes, Mr. Bush did recently sign a bill into law that improves border protection by such steps as adding 1,000 Border Patrol agents. And this week, the president is giving speeches in Texas and Arizona that will appear to show he's now serious about stemming the increasing flow of unlawful migration into the US. But this belated support was probably done under political duress to keep the GOP majority in Congress.
Indeed, Bush does show a new enthusiasm for several practical measures, such as returning illegal migrants captured along the Mexican border back to the interior of Mexico rather than releasing them simply on the other side. (Such a step would reduce the incentive for those who keep trying to find one of many holes in the US security system.)
The president's political nod toward better security might help GOP candidates who need to show that their party is making some moves toward reducing the massive lawlessness of border crossings and trying to nab infiltrating terrorists. But Americans are in a show-me mood when it comes to immigration, and are oh-so aware that past border toughening and the 1986 amnesty for illegals did little to stem the flow.
They're also wise to the false notion that a guest-worker program will somehow greatly soak up the demand among those who want to enter the US and thus reduce illegal crossings.
A GOP plan to pass a "comprehensive" immigration bill early next year should aim to secure the borders first before dealing with an increase in legal entries or providing any sort of back-door amnesty to the more than 10 million illegal immigrants in the US. Those businesses which now hire illegal workers and contribute heavily to the GOP should not be the GOP's priority when it comes to security issues such as border controls. If employers need more American workers, all they need to do is raise wages and offer benefits. They might also rest easier by obeying hiring laws.
A nation that long tolerates such open lawlessness in both illegal entries and hiring can't claim to be a beacon of virtue to the world. Nor is it safe against terrorism.
Like New Orleans' broken levees, the US needs to shore up its border protection first. Then it can be more generous in taking in the world's huddled masses.
Secure the borders first. Deportation follows.
You noticed that too huh?
This Knight Ridder Newspapers, Arizona Daily Star, Jun. 30 article reprinted at
http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2004/07/immigrantreturn.php
says
"The program, approved by Hutchinson earlier this month and known as interior repatriation, is designed to funnel illegal immigrants away from the Arizona-Sonora desert, where punishing heat has killed hundreds, by flying the migrants to Mexico City or Guadalajara and then busing them to their towns.
"The agreement caps months of delicate negotiations with Mexico, where the concept of interior repatriation is highly controversial.
"Mexican officials insisted that the repatriation be voluntary and that detainees not be handcuffed.
"Mexican consular officials will interview the migrants to ensure their decision to fly is voluntary. "
[End excerpt]
Neither the President's speech nor the CSM pointed out that it all depends upon the Mexicans themselves. It appears to me.
But our leaders want the borders open to allow in dirt cheap illegal alien labor, which is why they will NOT build a fence.
Fernando Ortiz was a landscape engineer on Long Island who had demanded to be able to vote, on the basis that he had been paying state and federal taxes for ten years. Actually, he had been stopped from casting a ballot by a poll watcher who had suspected his citizenship status, and (illegally, as it turned out) demanded proof of his identity and legal qualification to vote. Ortiz had won a multi-million dollar settlement against the Republican Party of New York in the subsequent racial profiling and ethnic intimidation civil suit, but he did not stop there.
Instead, with massive support from the ACLU and various Hispanic immigrants rights foundations, he had pressed his demand to be allowed to vote all the way to the Supreme Court and he won. The Supreme Court, in its famous 5-4 decision, ruled that negligence in securing Americas borders against illegal immigration on the part of the federal government, could not be held against undocumented workers who played by the rules and paid their taxes, once they were established in Americalegally or not. The federal government had not taken reasonable efforts to secure the border, and had not pursued "undocumented workers" in the USA. Instead, it openly permitted them most of the benefits of citizenship, and it collected their taxes. "No taxation without representation!" was the cry heard all the way to the Supreme Court. The State of New York had then sleep-walked through an aimless and desultory case for denying the voteand citizenshipto undocumented workers.
Following Ortiz v. New York, a stunned America woke up to discover that there were not only an amazing twenty-two million illegal aliens hiding in plain sight across the land, but that eight million of them immediately qualified to vote. In a nation split 50-50 down party and ideological lines, these eight million new voters were recognized to be the certain majority-makers in future elections, and both parties set record lows for cravenness in pandering to their needs. Chief among their needs were liberal new family reunification laws, and these instant citizensillegal aliens only a year beforebegan bringing the remainders of their families to the USA. Legally.
Overnight, wavering Democrat states became locks, and swing states with large Hispanic populations went solidly blue. The result was the recent election which had brought Gobernador Deleon to power in Nuevo Mexico, and had also brought radical Democrats to power in the White House and both houses of congress.
Thus had come the political tsunami which swept all before it, a tidal wave triggered by an undocumented lawn maintenance worker named Fernando Ortiz.
Yikes! Good insight Travis. I can see this happening.
More like premonition than prediction though..
If you know what I mean.. ;o)
That's one way it might play out. Civil War Two is another.
"No, this week he's giving speeches to provide amnesty to illegals, but using any other word for 'amnesty' that his speech-writers can find."
The new word is "normalization".
Trav, listen to this if you want a good roar.
http://www.wadejacoby.com/pedro/
As I recall that is exactly the reason McCain and Bingaman used to sell their Federal Responsibility for Immigrant Health Act. We didn't enforce the law, we let them in, we're responsible for their health and welfare.
I think McCain has learned to be less frank. To wit, he has a plan that would require ILLEGAL aliens pay a fine and pay all back taxes. Pay back taxes? I swear it seems to me that when the back taxes are computed the "earned income credit" will kick in and we'll owe them.
Well, how kind of you to feel that way. Maybe we can get a law passed to only let the pretty illegals in, eh?
Ugly is as ugly does.
You're a pig.
Exactly! We'll owe THEM!
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
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