Untying the immigration knot

townhall.com ^ | May 16, 2006 | Rebecca Hagelin

[strategofr]

“It would end the U.S. as we currently know it.”

That’s Robert Rector of The Heritage Foundation, speaking of what would happen if an immigration proposal by Sens. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) becomes law. Their plan would grant amnesty to 9 million to 10 million illegal immigrants and put those immigrants on a path to citizenship.

Moreover, the Martinez-Hagel plan would pave the way for an estimated 103 million persons to legally immigrate to the U.S. over the next 20 years -- fully one-third of the current population of the United States. Current law allows 19 million legal immigrants over the next 20 years. The Martinez-Hagel plan would add an extra 84 million legal immigrants to that number.

“Effectively, within 20 years, a quarter of the U.S. population will be foreign born” under Martinez-Hagel, Rector says. He calls the prospect of such a huge influx “utterly unprecedented.”

If Martinez-Hagel becomes law, Rector says, we can expect “the largest expansion of the welfare state in 35 years.”

Why? Consider a few facts Mr. Rector has exposed:

• Half of all adult illegal immigrants lack a high-school degree. Among Latin American and Mexican immigrants, 60 percent lack a high-school degree and only 7 percent have a college degree. By contrast, among native-born U.S. workers, only 6 percent have failed to complete high school and nearly a third have a college degree.

• Immigrant households are about 50 percent more likely to use welfare than native-born households.

• Immigrants without a high-school degree (both lawful and unlawful) are two-and-a-half times more likely to use welfare than native-born individuals.

Then there’s the problem of out-of-wedlock childbearing, which a) correlates strongly with welfare use and b) is more prevalent among foreign-born Hispanics than among non-Hispanic whites (42.3 percent vs. 23.4 percent). “Children born and raised outside of marriage are seven times more likely to live in poverty than children born and raised by married couples,” Rector writes. “Children born out-of-wedlock are also more likely to be on welfare, to have lower educational achievement, to have emotional problems, to abuse drugs and alcohol, and to become involved in crime.”

Beyond the economic concerns of immigration are security problems. Mixed in with those who simply want to make a better life for their families are some dangerous people. When immigration laws are flouted routinely, terrorists and drug traffickers find it easier to engage in criminal activities. What’s needed, James Carafano suggests in another Heritage paper on immigration, is for policymakers to enforce laws that bar employers from hiring illegal aliens.

“Research by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the SSA Inspector General suggests an alarming degree of collusion between illegal workers and employers who intentionally turn a blind eye to hiring individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States,” Carafano writes. “This collusion helps to fuel a burgeoning population of undocumented workers and encourages unprecedented levels of illegal border crossings.”

To reduce those crossings, we need a smarter way to secure our borders, Carafano says in a separate Heritage paper. We need “enhanced and secured infrastructure, appropriate screening, inspection of high-risk cargo and people, persistent surveillance, actionable intelligence and responsive interdiction,” he writes. “Combining these instruments into effective border security requires not just integrating assets at the border, but also linking them to all activities involved in cross-border travel and transport, from issuing visas, passports, and overseas purchase orders to internal investigations and the detention and removal of unlawful persons.”

Do these concerns mean that Americans should shun immigrants? Certainly not. Ours is a country born of immigrants. But immigration reform is long overdue and must emphasize work incentives, not welfare incentives; keep current US citizens safe from terrorists and thugs who enter under the dark of night; and include measures to make sure those legally entering our country are willing to contribute to society and become U.S. citizens. Patriotic assimilation is crucial, as Matt Spalding explains in a paper for Heritage’s First Principles Series. “The American theory of citizenship necessitates that the words immigration and assimilation be linked in our political lexicon and closely connected in terms of public policy: Where there is one, there must be the other.” Spalding points out that assimilation must include an emphasis on acquiring English, learning about our history, political principles, civic culture and establishing primary allegiance to the United States.

If we do not enact wise reform measures that protect our American way of life, there may one day be no recognizable American way of life left to protect.

Rebecca is the author of Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That's Gone Stark Raving Mad and a vice president at The Heritage Foundation, a Townhall.com Gold Partner.

Copyright © 2006 Rebecca Hagelin

[oldbill]

The Republican Senate idiocy is what is almost guaranteeing that it will be put in the hands of Gore, Kennedy, and Clinton, not the comments of Freepers.

[umgud]

Spain would be better off with Mexican and Latin immigrants than muslims.

[dennisw]

Robert Rector was amazingly effective on Lou Dobbs tonight. He was on in the first 15 minutes. He spoke soberly and credibly. I have no doubts that he is correct. He KNOWS immigration and the SCAMS buried in the immigration bills

[Jim Robinson]

Well, those who are stirring up the "I hope the Democrats win to teach you all a lesson" flamewars on FR will not be welcome here whether they have any real affect on the election not.

And the last I heard the majority of the GOP senators are voting against the bill.

[Isabelle]

We are told that it is not possible to deport the illegals ... too many, I guess.

However we are expected to absorb 100 million+.
I think deporting a few million illegal immigrants looks a h@ll of alot easier.NOW!

[Jim Robinson]

Hey, I'm not in favor of increasing the immigration quotas. Just hate to see the demagoguery taking place. The "103 million Mexican illegals" lie has already been accepted into the feeding frenzy as absolute gospel. I've already seen it exaggerated further to 150 million just today. Tomorrow, I'm expecting it will be 300 million Mexican illegals invading the US. This is WAHR!!

[Jim Robinson]

I rest my case.

[oldm60grunt]

I agree the actual number is murky.

However, in my small community in Ga the number of Hispanics,(legal, illegal, whatever,) has increased by the thousands, and is totally overwhelming the infrastructure to cope with it.

I can only imagine what it must be like in areas closer to the border.

[Jim Robinson]

Whoa. Sounds like you have a problem with "Hispanics" not just illegals.

[hosepipe]

Besides all that they VOTE DEMOCRAT...
Anyone thats bi-partisan please HANG YOURSELF NOW...

[oldm60grunt]

No I do not.

I respect all legal immigrants.

Just trying to put it in to perspective that it is indeed hard to estimate the number of illegals vs legal.

All numbers are unclear, and some are just moving to other areas where greater opportunity exists.

The illegals just make it more difficult.

Sorry if I was unclear.

[Publius6961]

Mexico has a declining birthrate, just as we do. This may not change the current wave of illegals, but in 20 years Mexico will be competing to get people back. They won't have excess people in 20 years to flood us with.

I prefer to deal with current reality rather than with speculation about the future.
A guess about what might happen in Mexico is curious, perhaps even cute, but worthless in the current divisive crisis.

We have to deal with between 12 and 20 million illegal aliens in our country right now. They believe that they have rights and they are screaming for them.
They have made the American taxpayers their serfs and aren't educated enough to realize that that is unacceptable.
That is our crisis today, the bleeding of our wealth and our will through exploding welfare in schools for these illegals, emergency hospitals in lieu of medical care... this is reality, not speculation.

And this is what needs to change now.

[Eagles6]

save

[raybbr]

If this bill becomes law, 2006 will mark the end of the United States. This is, above all else, a matter not of immigration, but of sovereignty.

Exactly. It's time to welcome the "new America".

THE "NEW AMERICAN"

We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.

Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.

For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.

As I speak, we are celebrating the success of democracy in Mexico.

George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.

You can read the speech here.

Here is an excerpt of a good critique of that speech:

In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster

[umgud]

Hey, slow down. Ya don't have to sell me on our current problem. I live in CA. And while it's relevant, I don't want to wait 20 years. I don't even want a guest worker program until we sort out the current wave of folks. No amnesty either.

[eazdzit]

Isrul you posted: "We are told that it is not possible to deport the illegals ... too many, I guess. Although Bush claims 6000,000 have been deported since his election."

Here are some figures from the uscis(U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) database. Based on these figures it would appear that the 6,000,000 number is in error. He has repeated it in two public statements that I know of. I suspect some staffer has been zealous with a number and doesn't have the courage to correct it.

Too bad because it has made him look uncredible. ____________________________________________________________________________________

Here is the data:

DEPORTABLE ALIENS LOCATED: FISCAL YEARS 2001-2004

This report 35 is here

2001-2004.............4,737,276
2001..................1,387,486
2002..................1,062,279
2003..................1,046,422
2004..................1,241,089

____________________________________________________________________________________ This report 40 is here

Year.......Formal removals.........Voluntary departures
#2

1892-2004.....3,345,365.................41,761,993

2001-2004.......720,778..................4,110,746

___________________________________________________________

DEPORTABLE ALIENS LOCATED
BY REGION AND COUNTRY OF NATIONALITY: 2004 ,report 36 is here.

______________________________________________________________________

The use of different terms, i.e. Formal Removal, voluntary departure and deportable, makes it look like the Formal removal and the voluntary departures were not deported.

Once someone is deported a 2nd offense is a felony and carries jail time.

I suspect they were overstayed Visa's. We allow around 30 million visa's per year.

:)Easy Does It:)

[Publius6961]

The important thing is a secure border for the US, regardless of what we do with guest workers or legal residents. Once the border is secure, then will be the time to evaluate other aspects of immigration.

A picture is worth 10,000 words.

Too bad I can't find that perfect leaky boat immigration political cartoon.

[isrul]

There's a great question for a White House press briefing. But I don't know which one (question, that is).

[kstewskis]

And the last I heard the majority of the GOP senators are voting against the bill.

Excellent news!

(of course, I would imagine our RINO McPain is in the crowd who will vote for it...)

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Don't forget the 1 billion chinese! LOL