The Case For Comprehensive Reform (Immigration)--good summary

[rodeodance]

go to site for longer stories.


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Progress Report: The Case For Comprehensive Reform
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 11:39:07 -0500 (EST)
From: American Progress Action Fund <[email protected]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: xxxx



by Judd Legum, Faiz Shakir, Nico Pitney
Amanda Terkel and Payson Schwin

March 24, 2006

The Case For Comprehensive Reform



IMMIGRATION

The Case For Comprehensive Reform

The United States' immigration system is broken, and getting worse. The number of undocumented in the United States has ballooned to roughly 12 million as of March 2006. Next week, the atmosphere will grow more urgent, as the Senate takes up immigration reform. For conservatives, it is a moment of truth. Columnist David Brooks warns that his fellow conservatives may "walk off a cliff on the subject of immigration," fundamentally "shifting away from the idea that the United States is a universal nation, where immigrants come from across the world to work, rise and join in the pursuit of happiness." Meanwhile, "tens of thousands of immigrants around the country stepped up a series of protest rallies," with events planned in 10 cities early next month. Most importantly, next week is an opportunity for Congress to take a bold step towards comprehensive immigration reform, including increased border security measures, strong moves to crack down on businesses that hire undocumented workers, and a path for immigrants to move out of the shadows.

EARNED CITIZENSHIP VS. GUEST WORKER PROGRAMS: The most comprehensive reform proposal on the table -- the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act proposed by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) -- includes a responsible plan to help undocumented workers become lawful, tax-paying members of our society. To earn citizenship, individuals would have to apply for a six-year temporary status, have a job, pay taxes, obey the law, learn English, and pay a $2,000 penalty for having come here illegally. Nor could they "cut in front of the more than 3 million 'green card' applicants who have obeyed the law." This is a rigorous but fair process. Many conservatives, however, including President Bush, support a limited temporary "guest worker" program, which allows undocumented to apply only for a six-year temporary residency. This strategy is impractical and irresponsible on its face: undocumented workers will have little incentive to expose their illegal status if they face mandatory deportation after just six years. It is also unpopular. According to a Time poll, the overwhelming number of Americans (76 percent) favor gaving undocumented individuals a path to earned citizenship.

ENFORCEMENT-ONLY: A FAILING POLICY: Draconian enforcement-only immigration policies backed by conservatives during the last two decades have been an expensive failure. The undocumented population has soared from 2.5 million in 1986 to 12 million today "despite a 519 percent increase in funding and a 221 percent increase in staffing for border patrol programs." A study by the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies showed that border controls alone have either "no statistically significant effect" on the propensity to migrate, or actually "encourage migrants to stay in the United States longer." Moreover, hardliner support for enforcement-only policies is weakening important alliances: U.S.-Mexico relations have "been in a downward spiral over the last six years," and 11 Latin American foreign ministers met last month in Colombia to discuss ways to counter plans for a massive, ineffective, and costly new border wall. Says Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute: "There is a certain emperor-has-no-clothes aspect to these enforcement-only bills. The only way they can work would be if you totally militarize the border. And even then, people would find some other way to come in." Thankfully, some in Congress are standing up against this approach: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced this week that he would "use every procedural means at my disposal," including a filibuster, to block passage of Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist's (R-TN) enforcement-only bill.

POLITICS AND IDEOLOGY MAY KILL CHANCES FOR REAL REFORM: The political grandstanding on immigration was typified this week by Majority Leader Frist. Just as the Senate Judiciary Committee had broken through a days-long stalemate and reached initial compromises on comprehensive reform, Frist announced plans to bring his own bill to the floor for debate. Frist's legislation lacks even a "guest worker" program, and so has no chance of passage. But no matter: Frist was more interested in appealing to immigration hardliners than actually addressing the problem. Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) called Frist's move a "colossal mistake." As for President Bush, though he has called for Congress to adopt a guest worker program, the White House last December also praised the draconian House bill -- the one that may kill chances of comprehensive reform -- as a "significant step forward." President Bush should be pressing hardline conservatives in the House to end their opposition to fair, comprehensive immigration reform.

CRACKDOWN ON CORPORATE ABETTERS: The U.S. government also needs to crack down on the businesses that routinely and knowingly hire undocumented workers. The Bush administration has a dismal record on employer enforcement. In 2003, it made just 443 worksite arrests of the estimated 6 million undocumented workers in the U.S. at that time. Even worse, the adminstration in 2004 issued only three notices of intent to fine employers for hiring undocumented workers, a drop from 417 in 1999, according to a Government Accountability Report. "Even when employers were caught hiring undocumented workers, the penalties typically have been minor," in part because Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "often lowers the amount of a fine in negotiations with employers." Richard Stana, director of homeland security and justice issues at the GAO, testified last year that worksite enforcement "continues to be a low priority for ICE." As long as employers are willing to hire undocumented workers, people will find a way to come here illegally. We need tougher penalties and tougher enforcement.

CRIMINALIZING THE GOOD WORKS OF THE FAITHFUL: In Isaiah 49:10, the Old Testament reads, "They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water." In this spirit, faith-based humanitarian groups like Humane Borders have offered basic medical and food supplies to those attempting to cross the U.S. border. These migrants, half of whom are women or children, face dangers including "fording flood-prone rivers, crossing dangerous deserts on foot and evading the armed gangs of smugglers and traffickers who will attempt to rob, rape and kidnap them." Hundreds die attempting to cross each year. Yet several bills being considered in the Senate now, including the potential compromise bill backed by Arlen Specter (R-PA), include a provision that would make it a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison to offer aid to undocumented immigrants. According to Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney, "the proposed law is so broad that it would criminalize even minor acts of mercy like offering a meal or administering first aid." Mahoney has instructed the priests of his archdiocese to disobey the law if it is enacted: "Denying aid to a fellow human being violates a law with a higher authority than Congress — the law of God." As Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said this week, "It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scripture because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself."