Everyone's clueless about immigration reform.
As Goose Doggy so helpfully likes to point out, I'm a bleeding heart liberal who wants to confiscate Bibles, burn the American flag, raise taxes, give plasma TVs to unwed mothers, make abortion mandatory, and smear feces on all the doorknobs at Walter Reed.
But I have to admit, on this immigration debate, I find myself more in agreement with wingnut Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Col.) than with the forces of compromise on the Senate floor. The much-ballyhooed, and eventually scuttled Kennedy-McCain "compromise" bill was completely unfeasible, a feelgood piece of legislation that essentially takes a mulligan on immigration rather than actually doing anything to solve the problem.
The biggest issue I have with the Senate compromise is that it's all carrot and no stick. I'm not opposed to a guest worker program, per se, but you can't make compliance voluntary, because then you still have a massive underground of undocumented immigrants who simply choose not to participate.
And why would they? There's no disincentive for staying off the books. Those immigrants who do not take advantage of earned citizenship are still undocumented, are still here illegally - nothing gets solved at all, other than encouraging more illegal immigration.
Frankly, I don't think that a lot of these immigrants care so much about citizenship, as they do about economic opportunity. They come to America so they can make money and support their families. Not because they crave the protections of the Bill of Rights. (And even if they did, that ten-amendment ship has sailed.)
The Balkanization of America is well underway, and these people aren't assimmilating. They aren't acclimating. They self-segregate and cling to their nation of origin like a security blanket, as evidenced by the paradoxical waving of Mexican and Salvadorean flags at these most recent immigration rallies. Ethnic pride is all well and good, and while a lot of pro-immigration forces counter with arguments about Irish flags getting flown at St. Patrick's Day parades, but the Irish don't walk around speaking Gaelic and expecting the rest of the country to accommodate them. If I moved to Japan, I would learn to speak Japanese. Sure, I'd speak English at home, but I wouldn't go out into the business world and expect the rest of the country to accommodate my ignorance.
Second, this idea that immigrants would have to pay a $2000 fine in order to earn their citizenship. Get real. What planet are these out-of-touch Senators living on? A lot of these people are working for minimum wage and supporting a family of four or more. How do they expect these people to scrape together $2000 for a fine? I have enough trouble saving up $2000 when I'm making five or six times that amount. This is a huge barrier that will put earned citizenship out of reach for the vast majority of people it's designed to help.
Third, the laws of supply and demand have a lot more to do with the current immigration crisis than the immigration laws. As long as big business interests can hire illegals with impunity, they'll keep coming - no matter what bills sit on Capitol Hill. The enforcement and penalties against employers who use illegal labor are ludicrous. Businesses must obey the law, and they should be punished harshly for failing to do so. Immigration isn't just the problem of the government. Big business ultimately is responsible for this mess. They are the ones who need to clean up their act, because until cheap immigrant labor stops being an attractive option, nothing whatsoever is going to change.
So what does comprehensive immigration reform actually need? Allow me to unveil my seven-point plan, guaranteed to offend and infuriate people on every corner of the political spectrum.
I'm sure that this plan sounds fairly extreme to some people, but it covers all the bases. It ensures enforcement against lawbreaking employers or immigrants. It gives illegals a chance to become citizens in such a way that preserves the cultural fabric of the nation. It actually makes them EARN "earned citizenship" in such a way that benefits the community and the country. It is certainly not the most compassionate option on the table, but it would go a much longer way towards actually controlling illegal immigration than the nasty House bill or the toothless Senate version.
And really, has anyone got a better idea?
But I have to admit, on this immigration debate, I find myself more in agreement with wingnut Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Col.) than with the forces of compromise on the Senate floor. The much-ballyhooed, and eventually scuttled Kennedy-McCain "compromise" bill was completely unfeasible, a feelgood piece of legislation that essentially takes a mulligan on immigration rather than actually doing anything to solve the problem.
The biggest issue I have with the Senate compromise is that it's all carrot and no stick. I'm not opposed to a guest worker program, per se, but you can't make compliance voluntary, because then you still have a massive underground of undocumented immigrants who simply choose not to participate.
And why would they? There's no disincentive for staying off the books. Those immigrants who do not take advantage of earned citizenship are still undocumented, are still here illegally - nothing gets solved at all, other than encouraging more illegal immigration.
Frankly, I don't think that a lot of these immigrants care so much about citizenship, as they do about economic opportunity. They come to America so they can make money and support their families. Not because they crave the protections of the Bill of Rights. (And even if they did, that ten-amendment ship has sailed.)
The Balkanization of America is well underway, and these people aren't assimmilating. They aren't acclimating. They self-segregate and cling to their nation of origin like a security blanket, as evidenced by the paradoxical waving of Mexican and Salvadorean flags at these most recent immigration rallies. Ethnic pride is all well and good, and while a lot of pro-immigration forces counter with arguments about Irish flags getting flown at St. Patrick's Day parades, but the Irish don't walk around speaking Gaelic and expecting the rest of the country to accommodate them. If I moved to Japan, I would learn to speak Japanese. Sure, I'd speak English at home, but I wouldn't go out into the business world and expect the rest of the country to accommodate my ignorance.
Second, this idea that immigrants would have to pay a $2000 fine in order to earn their citizenship. Get real. What planet are these out-of-touch Senators living on? A lot of these people are working for minimum wage and supporting a family of four or more. How do they expect these people to scrape together $2000 for a fine? I have enough trouble saving up $2000 when I'm making five or six times that amount. This is a huge barrier that will put earned citizenship out of reach for the vast majority of people it's designed to help.
Third, the laws of supply and demand have a lot more to do with the current immigration crisis than the immigration laws. As long as big business interests can hire illegals with impunity, they'll keep coming - no matter what bills sit on Capitol Hill. The enforcement and penalties against employers who use illegal labor are ludicrous. Businesses must obey the law, and they should be punished harshly for failing to do so. Immigration isn't just the problem of the government. Big business ultimately is responsible for this mess. They are the ones who need to clean up their act, because until cheap immigrant labor stops being an attractive option, nothing whatsoever is going to change.
So what does comprehensive immigration reform actually need? Allow me to unveil my seven-point plan, guaranteed to offend and infuriate people on every corner of the political spectrum.
- Security. I don't know if building a fence will help, but in a post-911 world it is absolutely inexcusable to have such a porous border. If the guy washing dishes at the Olive Garden can figure out how to sneak into America, you think a terrorist mastermind can't?
- Enforcement on the business level. Make it cost prohibitive for employers to use illegal labor and they'll stop. Simple as that.
- Deport illegals who break the law. I don't care if it's a reckless driving misdemeanor. If you're here illegally, you deserve no second chances. No illegal immigrant with any criminal record should have any chance at citizenship, earned or otherwise. It's bad enough that the contempt for the law that our wink-wink nudge-nudge immigration policy spawns gangs like MS-13. The last thing we need are ordinariy illegals thinking it's OK to flee the scene of an accident, because that law doesn't need to be obeyed either.
- Give undocumented illegals a means towards citizenship, but make the alternative a criminal sanction or deportation. Making felons out of undocumented illegals is a bit draconian, but if citizenship is offered and not taken, they should be sent back to their country of origin. Either you're in or out.
- Make English the official language of the United States, and make English proficiency a prerequisite for citizenship.
- This "eat your vegetables and do your chores" approach to earned citizenship is, quite frankly, bullshit. Paying taxes and not getting arrested are things that these people need to be doing anyway. Why should we reward them for doing the bare minimum of what society asks of them? You want to talk about "earned citizenship?" Make them actually EARN IT. Institute a community service requirement. Even though pro-immigration forces belabor the point that they don't draw social security, the bottom line is that illegal aliens are a drain on the resources of every community. Make them give something back, locally, so they make a positive impact in their community. And helping some agribiz post record profits does not count as a "positive impact."
- Institute compulsory military service for able-bodied men (whether active, reserve, or National Guard). 5% of troops fighting in Iraq now are illegal aliens, and they are proving their devotion to the United States with their blood. If these immigrants want to be a part of this country, let them fight for it. Put up or shut up.
I'm sure that this plan sounds fairly extreme to some people, but it covers all the bases. It ensures enforcement against lawbreaking employers or immigrants. It gives illegals a chance to become citizens in such a way that preserves the cultural fabric of the nation. It actually makes them EARN "earned citizenship" in such a way that benefits the community and the country. It is certainly not the most compassionate option on the table, but it would go a much longer way towards actually controlling illegal immigration than the nasty House bill or the toothless Senate version.
And really, has anyone got a better idea?
Labels: immigration, politics
