Immigration Reform Bill down for the count
Posted on Jun 29, 2007 - 1:39pm by Porter Corn in Politics
The Immigration Reform bill, a piece of legislation hastily put together was voted down once again yesterday by a Senate group who changed their minds and votes two days after voting to bring it forward for debate.
So today, a minority of Americans are celebrating it’s demise for this legislative session and patting each other on the backs in praise for preventing what they considered “amnesty” for an estimated 12 to 20 million people in the country illegally.
But there is no reason for celebration but rather a time for sadness that this opportunity we were presented with was wasted and ignored, and now we return to the status quo.
Instead of compromising in the nation’s interest, senators kowtowed to their loudest, and often most irrational, supporters. For conservatives, it was nativists who stoked fears that immigrants are tainting America. For a few liberals, it was unions, some of which claimed that more immigration would cut wages and opportunities for Americans.
By failing to act, what the senators gave America is more of the dysfunctional status quo. Republican foes of the measure can crow, as they did Thursday, of a “victory,” but the facts show that they killed a long list of enforcement remedies they said they wanted — and could have had just by saying yes.
That list includes more than $4.4 billion for patrols, barriers, cameras and other mechanisms to strengthen the nation’s borders. Gone, too, is a plan for the first smart, effective way for employers to verify if workers are legal, as well as stiff criminal penalties for businesses that break the law.
Of course, the biggest cry of the naysayers was that the measure granted “amnesty” for 12 million illegal immigrants already in the USA. Well, guess what? The 12 million are still here. It’s folly to think that they will be deported, disappear voluntarily or be hounded away. If past trends continue, another 400,000 will arrive this year, and every year Congress fails to act.
Well guess what people. Most Mexicans don’t want citizenship. They want to work a few years for a nest egg and return home as they have done in years prior to 9/11
There was no “amnesty” in this bill as many would have you believe. The fines and penalties that would have been paid would have helped cover the cost of the program and border security and with the fines, any idea of amnesty is out the window because there is punishment for the crime.
But that is all behind us now. It is back to business as usual. Although this morning, Michael Chertoff stated raids would continue of businesses. Families will continue to be separated. And as American business loses this source of cheap labor, you’ll notice things become more expensive that you once took for granted.
And they will keep coming and we’ll never know who, exactly is in this country. America, we blew it!
Health Care – Not Good Enough…
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You can’t say we don’t have a diverse opinion on this site. At first I thought this was Don being sarcastic.
It failed because it was a few good amendments and a lot of really bad ones and a bunch of Senators saying, it’s bad, but let’s pass it anyway.
Let’s try enforcing the rules we have now. There are plenty of guest worker plans in place now, even for the lowly lettuce pickers. Why the need for more?
You want to be compassionate? Let’s put an end to the legalized enslavement of illegal immigrants.
Chertoff says, “Workplace enforcement will continue”. Let’s hope so.
I just had a chance to read this post. A minority of Americans are celebrating? I think not. Every poll I read or heard indicated that more than 80% of Americans were adamantly opposed to this bill. Yes, the 12 million are still here but we already have immigration laws in place that can achieve every goal set forth in this bill; except granting a Z Visa to the illegals in place. Since we’re not enforcing those laws, many of which came about as a result of our previous amnesty bill, I have no reason to believe any similar measures included in this bill would have been enforced.
As Wayne says, we have a guest worker program that covers migrant farm workers. If we need the 12 million that are here now then we need to expand that program. Enforce current laws that make it illegal to hire illegal workers. Fine the employers, deport the illegals, and bring in people whose first act on American soil isn’t the defiance of American Law.
Wayne makes another outstanding point. The last time a bunch of farmers told us that they couldn’t get along without a certain underclass of individuals; we went to war.
The Comprehensive Immigration bill is a disaster. Senator Reid will attempt to resurrect this bill again in the fall or in 2008. Be aware of section 413 of this bill which will “accelerate”our membership into the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of the North American Union or Community. Under section 413 the United States,with our tax dollars, is to assist Mexico in their economic growth and pay for Mexican citizens’ social services in Mexico. The cost to U.S. taxpayers of this bill is $2.8 trillon.
The SPP’s objectives are to erase our national borders and provide unlimited migration of foreign workers into the U.S. Entry will be through biometric national ID cards. The “seamless movement of goods and people” will be achieved through the NAFTA Superhighway.
If the United States becomes a member of the SPP, we will be compromising our national sovereignty (our ability to make and enforce our own laws). We will be merely a state in a trinational system of governance with Mexico and Canada.
Oppose the Comprehensive Immigration bill. Tell congress to enforce the immigration laws we have such as U.S. Code, Title 8, Sections 1325 and 274. Work to repeal NAFTA which at the root of unfair trade, loss of jobs, loss of the middle class and the American way of life.
Better read the SPP and all the reports Mary. Nowhere in there is anything said about erasing border nor compromising the sovereignty of any of the three countries involved.
The SPP is about sharing information, expediting people and freight movements across international borders. Port security and expedition of sea borne freight and rapid response and information sharing concerning pandemics such as the avian flu between countries.
You have three sovereign countries involved. each with a Constitution or Charter defining it’s governments and three countries whose citizens would never allow for what you suggest to happen.
Read and learn please.