you know the rest. amnesty doesn’t work. we tried this already in 1986. the INS(immigration and naturalization service) released a study on this back in 2000. guess what they found out? here are a few highlights (courtesy of the center for immigration studies).
Amnesties clearly do not solve the problem of illegal immigration. About 2.7 million people received lawful permanent residence (“green cards”) in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a result of the amnesties contained in the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. But these new INS figures show that by the beginning of 1997 those former illegal aliens had been entirely replaced by new illegal aliens, and that the unauthorized population again stood at more than 5 million, just as before the amnesty.
In fact, the new INS estimates show that the 1986 amnesty almost certainly increased illegal immigration, as the relatives of newly legalized illegals came to the United States to join their family members. The flow of illegals grew dramatically during the years of the amnesty to more than 800,000 a year, before dropping back down to around 500,000 a year.
shouldn’t we take this into consideration when thinking about the consequences of a second amnesty for even more illegals? we shouldn’t reward them or the employers that hire them for breaking the law. we should care more about protecting the rights and the jobs of american citizens than we do about taking care of those unfortunate souls who are citizens of a corrupt socialist government. border enforcement should be a priority, but we also need to destroy incentives for employers and illegals to break the law. that’s the only way to significantly reduce illegal immigration. that’s where the senate bill fails to deliver the goods.
here are some important facts to know(from the heritage study):
- 85% of the current illegal immigrant population will be granted amnesty under the senate bill…which adds up to 10 MILLION PEOPLE.
- there are NO numeric limits on the number of illegal immigrants, spouses, and dependents receiving LPR(legal permanent resident) status.
you can dispute heritage’s actual numbers(and the white house already has). however, even if those numbers are wildly overestimated, it’s alarming that there are no caps on the number of illegals that would be able to come in to our country under provisions of that senate bill.
here’s what i would like to see:
- enforcement with teeth
- fines for employers that would take a significant bite out of their bottom line, which will increase on each violation knowingly committed
- deportation for those who commit crimes in addition to the one committed when sneaking into the country
- frequent periodic checks on employers suspected of hiring illegals, and especially those who have already been caught doing so.
- strengthen existing laws where necessary to decrease the possibility that there will be repeat offenders
- increased funding for border security so that those charged with enforcing our borders will have the resources they need
- no citizenship for felons, drug smugglers, or those with 3+ minor infractions
these are some common sense suggestions that i think could be starting points for an immigration bill that would actually begin to deal with the problem. i do think that there should be some exceptions for those seeking political asylum for legitimate reasons, and those cases should be fully vetted.
there are many more questions to answer before we can accept a final immigration bill from this congress, and i hope that they will figure out the right answers to those questions.
related:
Immigration Bill Is Worse Than You Think-human events online
House Negotiator Calls Senate Immigration Bill ‘Amnesty’ and Rejects It –NYT
Senate Immigration Bill Would Allow 100 Million New Legal Immigrants over the Next Twenty Years–heritage
Immigration Deal at Risk as House GOP Looks to Voters–washington post
tags: illegal immigration
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration(CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let me know at what level you would like to participate.
I was listening to talk radio and heard Byron Dorgan, senator from North Dakota, talking about this. He voted against the immigration bill basically because it would have a negative impact on the American worker. He said some of the things you have posted. I believe you and him are right. And it’s a shame that we do not have the right people elected in office (Democrats and Republicans) to stand up and create a bill that will handle immigration the right way.
I have my own theories as to what exactly is going on here, but we will just have to see how this all plays out and what the final bill looks like. It doesn’t make sense to me that the President wouldn’t realize the way the American people feel about illegal immigration, and how we think it should be dealt with.
I agree totally with your six-point approach and share your rage.
Yours is, indeed, a common sense approach but I fear that our government, as it stands, does not have the will or the guts to resolve the problem the common sense way.
…the 1986 bill didn’t work because it was never enforced! Was all for political gain just as it is now. These guys aren’t interested in doing whats best for the country – their only trying to do whats best for the businesses that pay them big bucks and do so in a manner that makes voters think they did someting good.
Harvey,
I guess we will have to see what happens next. I don’t think the House is as blind to the will of the people as the Senate and the President seem to be.
Beth,
That’s why there are no guarantees that this amnesty bill will work either. Hopefully all of us can make enough noise that the politicians can hear the will of the American people on illegal immigration.