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| Home Front: Politix |
| New Senator's Views on Immigration Reform |
| 2007-06-20 |
| A response forwarded by a friend from newly-elected Democratic Senator from Maryland, Ben Cardin. Copied from e-mail; no link. No way to confirm this viewpoint at his website. Interesting and comprehensive, though I don't like all of it. Thank you for contacting me regarding comprehensive immigration reform. Today, the nation is faced with an immigration and border security system that has serious flaws. Americans want the President and Congress to come together to enact a comprehensive, workable, and enforceable system for immigration and border security. The government must require that our laws are obeyed. I reject the false dichotomy in the immigration debate between two choices that are unwise and impractical. One is to give all illegal aliens amnesty, which would be the forgiveness of an offense without penalty. Second is to deport the estimated 12 million illegal aliens out of the United States . For two weeks in May and June the United States Senate debated a comprehensive immigration reform bill. The Senate voted on over two dozen amendments but failed to reach a final resolution on the bill. Should the immigration bill be brought back to the Senate floor, I will use several principles to analyze the amendments and the legislation that are brought forward for debate and votes in the Senate. First, we must restore the rule of law and enhance security at our borders. The government must immediately hire new border patrol officers and end the policy of "catch and release" which quickly turns detained illegal immigrants free. The government should require the use of a biometric entry-exit screening system for all land borders, so that we have an accurate record of who is entering and leaving the United States . The government should create a "smart" enforcement regime which will produce more efficient inspections and screenings, and allow us to target and tailor our limited resources to combat illegal smuggling of people and contraband. Congress should require "triggers" and benchmarks be met in the area of border security before probationary visas are issued and a new temporary worker program go into effect. Second, the government must enforce the law. We must improve our interior enforcement of our immigration laws by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bureau. We should toughen penalties for criminal aliens, gang violence, and passport, visa, and immigration document fraud. Congress must also insist that America 's employers follow the law and play by the rules when hiring and paying any immigrant workers. The government can begin to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the country by making it harder to hire them. Employers should be required to electronically verify the identity and status of all new hires, and eventually of all current employees. Third, our immigration system must reflect the American values of hard work and family. Immigration law should promote family reunification for legal immigrants who have patiently waited in line for visas, green cards, legal permanent resident status, and citizenship. Legal immigrants must remain at the front of the line, and undocumented workers and illegal aliens must go to the back of the line. We must reform our temporary visa program to meet the needs of the American economy while guaranteeing fair wage rates and labor protection for temporary workers. Temporary workers should have a limited stay in the United States , and U.S. employers must be required to advertise the job in the United States at a competitive wage rate before hiring a temporary worker. Fourth, we must bring the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows in order to establish the rule of law. Congress should reject giving amnesty to undocumented immigrants, and it should also reject the suggestion to deport all undocumented immigrants out of the country. Only a comprehensive immigration reform approach can begin to solve this pressing problem. Congress should enact a bill that gives temporary legal status - but not citizenship or legal permanent resident status - to undocumented workers who come forward, acknowledge they broke the law, pay a fine, and undergo a criminal background check. During this probationary status illegal immigrants would not be entitled to social services government benefits. Before applying for a green card, undocumented workers should have to wait in line behind those who applied lawfully, complete certain English requirements, and meet additional criteria for employment in the United States. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate on the comprehensive immigration reform bill to address this critical issue for the American people. |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #6 But tu3031 - someone has to care about their families! After all, you are not from the victim class. |
| Posted by: Harry Reid 2007-06-20 14:09 |
| #5 When Evita becomes queen and collectivizes the economy, they'll self-deport. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2007-06-20 13:07 |
| #4 If I hear one more of these clowns give me that "out of the shadows" bullshit, I'm going down there and kick him in the balls. And I care as much about their "families" as they do about mine. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-06-20 10:53 |
| #3 All they have to do is setup some workable verification system that isn't easy to manipulate and make it a fairly serious crime to hire illegals. No work, no $$$$, they all go home in a stampede. We don't need THAT MANY landscapers. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-06-20 10:47 |
| #2 Cut off remittances to Mexico and enforce existing laws. Most illegals would self deport in 60 days. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2007-06-20 10:36 |
| #1 Okay, build the fence, pass items one and two, (mostly already law of the land), use item three as immigration protocol. Then change item four to read that they never aquire the right to vote. And remember, using a false SS number and/or other false documentation is a crime. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-06-20 09:58 |