Immigration, Reconsidered

American Thinker ^ | July 14, 2010 | Selwyn Duke

[kabar]

What if instead of granting amnesty in one fell swoop, we did so incrementally, say, to 20 percent of illegals a year for the next five years? That would still have the same ill effects, you say? OK, how about one million illegals a year until the job is done? I can hear it now: "Whoa, Duke, all you're proposing is to trade a knife through the heart for a death by a thousand cuts. A bad idea implemented more slowly is still a bad idea. And illegal means illegal." But wait -- if Congress passed an amnesty plan, it wouldn't be illegal.

You see, a death by a thousand legal cuts is not actually my position. Rather, if you're the average conservative American, it's yours. And what I put forth wasn't actually a proposal. Rather, it was a reality. It's called legal immigration.

Snip

Let's look at the facts. For most of American history, we admitted an average of approximately 250,000 immigrants a year. After the Immigration Reform Act of 1965 (Ted Kennedy's baby), however, this figure rose fourfold to approximately one million a year. The result: The rate of immigration started to exceed the rate of assimilation.

But it wasn't just the numbers that changed; it was also the nature. Eighty-five percent of our legal immigrants now hail from the third world and Asia, from non-Western cultures. And many immigrants, such as Islamists, cling to and advance beliefs that are incompatible with -- and destructive to -- our culture.

The proof is in the pudding. Approximately 80 percent of new legal immigrants, once naturalized, vote as our culture-rending leftists do (for leftist Democrats). For a specific example, consider that first-time Hispanic voters cast ballots for Bill Clinton by a ratio of 15 to 1.

[kabar]

Illegal immigration is a problem, but so is legal immigration. 53% of LEGAL immigrants are on welfare. We are importing poverty. Milton Friedman said, “You cannot simultaneously have free immigration and a welfare state.”

There are 400,000 "anchor babies" annually. They are American citizens entitled to food stamps, Medicaid, schools, etc. One in every ten children born in this country is to an illegal.

[Fred]

Reids says there are no illegals working in Nevada

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2552378/posts

[Fred]

All immigration should be suspended until unemployment is at 5%

[ThePatriotsFlag]

If we let them all in, the US will be destroyed. They are not coming here to vote, but to work and take advantage of our social welfare systems.

But if they can't vote, then we can have a majority to vote AGAINST giving them benefits! :-)

[kabar]

I agree with that. The Bureau of Labor statistics for June 2010 show a national unemployment rate of 9.5 percent, including 15.4 percent for blacks and 12.4 percent for Hispanics. 14.6 million Americans are unemployed. Despite the economic downturn, the U.S. continues to bring in 125,000 new, legal foreign workers a month. This includes new permanent residents (green cards) and long-term temporary visas and others who are authorized to take a job. This makes no sense.

[Fred]

You inspired me

And if these current modern day plantation owners, Microsoft, Oracle, Verizon, ATT etc etc ) claim that there is not a single American that can do the job...THAN FRIGGIN TRAIN ONE!!!!!

[kabar]

But if they can't vote, then we can have a majority to vote AGAINST giving them benefits! :-)

But legal immigrants can vote and we are bringing in 1.2 million a year, most of them poor and uneducated. Most of them will vote Democrat, the party of free stuff.

And the 400,000 anchor babies born to illegals every year are American citizens entitled to all of the benefits guaranteed by the Constitution and the welfare state. Importing Poverty: Immigration and Poverty in the United States: A Book of Charts by Robert Rector, The Heritage Foundation

By 2023, half of the children 18 and under will be minorities as defined by the USG and by 2042 half of the country will be minorities. Immigration, legal and illegal, has changed the demographics of this country rapidly.

[Flintlock]

NEVER!
No illegal should EVER be allowed citizenship.
EVER!

[RU88]

Excellent post. By concentrating almost entirely on illegal immigration we as a country have taken our eyes off the ball which has been rolling down the proverbial hill since Kennedy's immigration reform in the 60’s, that being legal immigration and the subsequent chain migration which follows it. The notion that we can assimilate this many people, many who have no intentions on assimilating in the first place, is preposterous. This is further compounded by the fact that the majority of immigrants, both legal and illegal, come from a third world nation that borders us to the south, making assimilation all the more difficult. It's not very hard at all to envision the American Southwest being majority Hispanic in a very short period of time. In my mind its not a question about race its more of a question of culture. You have by and large a vast majority of immigrants coming from a culture which in many respects is different from our own with little desire to assimilate. What we need to do is to take a step back, look at the policies that are currently in effect and decide what changes need to be made for the good of the country, not the good of the next politician who needs their votes.

[kabar]

Exactly. We know why Microsoft et. al. want to bring in foreign labor, i.e., they are cheaper and depress wages. Americans are being discouraged from entering these fields because wages are stagnant or declining. If there were really a shortage of labor in these fields, wages would be going up.

[kabar]

Agree. And we have to eliminate birthright citizenship as well. 400,000 “anchor babies” a year are costing us billions in social welfare costs.

[kabar]

Agree wholeheartedly. Professor Huntington of Harvard understood this problem more than 6 years ago.

The Hispanic Challenge By Samuel P. Huntington--The persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages. Unlike past immigrant groups, Mexicans and other Latinos have not assimilated into mainstream U.S. culture, forming instead their own political and linguistic enclaves—from Los Angeles to Miami—and rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream. The United States ignores this challenge at its peril.

[achilles2000]

Deporting them or forcing them to self-deport is an option if we say it is. Arizona has taken some steps in that direction, and other states are about to follow suit. We don’t need 20 million semi-literates from a backward culture and their anchor babies and their relatives.

The “penalties” approach is not only a farce, but cultural and national suicide.

[Avoiding_Sulla]

I tried to point this big problem out to Republicans many times but never got anywhere.

It's a Kabuki dance between radicals on the Left and "diplomats" allegedly on the Right.

What the diplomatic "Progressives" have always done is insert themselves between the radical Left and the outraged conservative and turn to the conservative and demand that the latter must give up some ground. And get downright angry at the conservatives when they point to the breaking of principles and the constitution.

It's from giving in a little here and a little there that their nothing left to give. It is conservative in nature to defend the status quo right? Well, the newest generation hasn't known anything of the freedoms the boomers were born into and permitted to be whittled away. What will it take for every American to recognize the truth of my tagline and decide that without a doubt "conservative" is the wrong label to place upon themselves?

Look, what will it take for a much larger number of Americans to get and refuse to take it any more?

Both parties are playing for the tyranny faction. Now the Dems are ruled by the radicals with their nihilistic notions that lead to control by the powerful outside of law, and in general daily speaks the most nonsense anyone has ever seen. And the GOP is dominated by leaders who are undeclared enemies of the constitution -- Statist republicans -- who are prepared to provide the power that rules -- they are no -nonsense about it too and will turn a dime and get angry with real conservatives. Conservatives like you see condescension at best and almost never see the diplomat the Dems see.

While I don't trust Michael Savage right now, he does use a few turns of phrase that I love.

“Don’t you get it yet? What are you? Crazy?”

“It’s two card Monte, and there’s no bean under either nut.”

We should reform the system so those that can contribute are put at the front of the line so that elected leaders fear the people rather than the people fear their rulers.

[dockkiller]

How about this...
1. Secure the border. Provide military to guard it.
2. Tell all illegals to go to a post office and sign the book, get their worker ID and be productive. No citizenship. If they want citizenship, get to the end of the line.
Anyone who doesn’t sign up, immediate deport/no return ever.
Commit a felony, immediate deport/no return ever.
Cross illegally, immediate deport/no return ever.
Gang banger, immediate deport/no return ever.
Then we can debate on the number allowed in per year.

[HiJinx]

Ping!

[kabar]

2. Tell all illegals to go to a post office and sign the book, get their worker ID and be productive. No citizenship. If they want citizenship, get to the end of the line.

What you are proposing is amnesty. The end of the line begins in their home countries. There are an estimated 3 million intending immigrants waiting their turn overseas. Some have waited years to enter. They have obeyed the law and completed all of their paperwork to enter this country as an immigrant. What kind of message does that send to them or anyone else wishing to enter this country legally?

Why must we allow people who entered our country illegally, committed ID theft, worked illegally, failed to pay taxes, etc. to stay and work here. Does the Rule of Law count for nothing? Conferring rights and privileges upon illegal aliens has a corrosive effect on the Rule of Law, the very foundation of our Republic. It is also a slap in the face to legal immigrants who have followed the rules and obeyed the laws.

Here is what we should do:

We need a pro-immigrant, low immigration policy that contains the following elements:

 A merit based immigration system that brings in the skills and talents to keep us competitive in the global economy;

 Reduced immigration levels based on need and more closely approximating 500,000 immigrants a year recommended by the Jordan Commission;

 Elimination of extended chain migration, i.e., family reunification, limiting it to the nuclear family;

 Enforcement of existing immigration laws to reduce the current illegal alien population and limit future illegal immigration, i.e., attrition thru enforcement. Enforcement would include: (1) ending the job magnet; (2) increasing coordination at the federal level by eliminating barriers to information sharing among agencies; (3) leveraging state and local enforcement resources; (4)securing the border and fully implementing the US-VISIT Program to track and deport visa overstays; and (5) make mandatory and improve such programs as E-Verify and 287 [g] authority to assist employers and law enforcement in identifying illegal aliens;

 Elimination of birthright citizenship;

 Ensure that anyone who enters this nation illegally is not rewarded by being permitted to stay and work here; i.e., no amnesty;

 Streamline the processing and adjudication of immigration cases; and

 Promote pro-immigrant measures that help newcomers assimilate and embrace the values and principles of our Founders and the Constitution.

[ckilmer]

false. Mass deportation is in the cards. The greatest gift we could give to Mexico in fact would be the return of their middle class.

[dockkiller]

I like your idea better, but I'm looking for a solution that will work in reality.

I believe the politicians will never send the illegals back because they fear the looting and pillaging that will occur on the way back. It's the dirty little secret. We may have a regional war on our soil if we tried something like Operation Wetback again.

I don't want amnesty. Again, no citizenship, just temporary work status. We'll need a few years to flush out the worst of them.

Once we have control of the situation, a government of grown-ups can implement your plan.

[kabar]

I believe the politicians will never send the illegals back because they fear the looting and pillaging that will occur on the way back. It's the dirty little secret. We may have a regional war on our soil if we tried something like Operation Wetback again.

The pro-amensty types are wont to create the false choice between a blanket amnesty and mass deportation of 12 to 20 million illegal aliens. In reality, we have other choices and alternatives that don’t reward people who have broken our laws with the right to stay and work here and an eventual path to citizenship. The 12 to 20 million illegal aliens did not enter this country overnight and they will not leave overnight. Attrition through enforcement works. We have empirical data from experiences in Georgia, Colorado, and Arizona proving that it does.

I see no sense of urgency in deporting them. We just make conditions so uncomfortable that they self-deport and we put in place measures that discourage others from coming. Leagalizing the status of those already here, just invites more to come. We had a one time amnesty in 1986. It didn't work.

Once we have control of the situation, a government of grown-ups can implement your plan.

No, we implement my plan as the first choice. There is no such thing as temporary workers. They stay, have children, change status, and are joined by their friends and relatives. When you subsidize or reward illegal behavior, you get more of it.

We just need to start enforcing our existing laws. Much of which you want is already in place in terms of the legal framework. All of the estimated two million criminal aliens should be deported and according to the law, all of the 12 to 20 million lawbreakers should be deported. Employers should be fined for hiring illegals. It is part of the law.