Immigration ‘Compromise’ Has Massive Fraud Potential
Posted by Bobby Eberle
April 7, 2006 at 6:22 am
>> Printer-Friendly Version

Members of the U.S. Senate worked late into the night on Thursday in an effort to agree on immigration reform legislation. What appeared to be emerging as a “compromise” would put millions of illegal aliens on a citizenship track and would introduce the potential for massive fraud in its implementation.

As noted in , “Immigration compromise unsure of passage,” a compromise to the McCain-Kennedy immigration bill is being considered which would allow “illegal immigrants who can show they have been in the country five years to apply for citizenship. They must pay $2,000 in penalties and any taxes owed, learn English, go through a criminal background check and wait 11 years.”


The compromise legislation would classify the estimated 11-12 million illegal aliens in the U.S. into one of three categories, each with its own set of requirements.

(From FOX News) — Illegal immigrants here more than five years could work for six years and apply for legal permanent residency without having to leave the country. Those here two years to five years would have to go to border entry points sometime in next three years, but could immediately return as temporary workers. Those here less than two years would have to leave and wait in line for visas to return.

However, as noted in the Washington Times, the chances for passage of the bill before the Easter recess look slim as Democrats continued to block discussion of Republican amendments.

In particular, an amendment proposed by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) would exclude felons, repeat offenders, and those ordered by the courts to leave the country from getting on the citizenship track has not even been allowed to be debated. Instead, the compromise, as noted by Senate staffers with whom I spoke yesterday, amounts to amnesty for about 8 million illegal aliens.

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), a vocal proponent of stronger border security measures, blasted the compromise as an open invitation for fraud. In a statement released on Thursday, Tancredo addresses the fraud issue by saying:

“The Senate deal asks people who have broken the law for years — often using fraudulent documents — to provide proof that they’ve lived here. I can guarantee that many of those fraudulent documents — which law enforcement hasn’t been able to detect yet — will be used to obtain legal status.”

Tancredo is right on this point. As noted by columnist Linda Chavez, millions of illegal aliens currently pay into the Social Security system because they are using fraudulent Social Security cards.

In 2002 alone, the Social Security Administration reported it had collected $7 billion in payroll taxes and $1.5 billion in Medicare taxes from workers who could not be matched with valid Social Security numbers.

In order to get meaningful legislation passed which addresses the immigration issue, legislators need to come to grips with what the American people want and don’t want. What they don’t want is amnesty. There is a middle ground which can be sought on addressing a guest worker plan which stays within a true definition of “guest worker” and does not put illegal aliens on a path to citizenship. In addition, important amendments such as the one supported by Sen. Cornyn must be allowed to be heard.

Ramming an immigration bill through the Senate just to say something got done, is ridiculous. Let’s be thoughtful and address the real problems. Amnesty did not work in 1986, and it won’t work now. It will simply send yet another signal that illegal entry will get you on a path to citizenship. That is not the right message to send.

http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/?p=258