Immigration laws, flaws

Published online 5/11/2009 10:48 PM

Last month, Ray Tranchant of Virginia spoke before a House panel, applauding the state's adoption of Section 287g, in which local police work with federal immigration authorities.

Tranchant discovered that the illegal immigrant who killed his daughter, Tessa, in 2007 had been arrested twice but not deported. Rep. Steve King of Iowa said that if we had enforced local immigration law, Tessa and many other Americans would still be alive. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois disagreed, stating the community of undocumented immigrants is victimized by those who call for enforcement of the laws.

"It doesn't solve the problem and this would not have saved your daughter's life," Gutierrez said, adding that the only way to enforce immigration laws is to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Gutierrez recently launched a 17-city "Familias Unidas 2009" tour promoting comprehensive immigration reform and the dismantling of immigration enforcement programs. This campaign focuses on the families torn apart by America's "broken immigration system."

Author Margaret Orchowski states that those here illegally are not immigrants; they are foreign nationals. Constitutional law professor and scholar John Eastman states that the 14th Amendment does not guarantee automatic birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

Others warn of the danger of comprehensive immigration reform, calling it a massive amnesty program. Michael Cutler, former INS agent, and Ben Furman, former FBI counter-terrorism chief, say that if comprehensive immigration reform passes, the USCIS will be overwhelmed with millions of background checks, enabling drug smugglers and terrorists to be given amnesty in the multitude. The greatest danger is the terrorists from the Middle East who take on Hispanic names and identities and attach themselves to floods of migrants entering through Mexico.

William Gheen, of Americans for Legal Immigration, says what is needed is enforcement of America's existing laws. Foreign nationals will return home on their own (attrition through enforcement.) Visit WilliamGheen.com to watch his Unify against Amnesty 2009 speech.

When citizens of Elkhart, Ind., noted that the city's unemployment rose to near 20 percent, while employers fired citizens and kept their undocumented employees, they formed Citizens for Immigration Enforcement.

Advocates for foreign nationals have successfully blocked legislation, which would make the E-verify program mandatory for employers.

It has a 99.6 percent accuracy rate for legal hires.

America welcomes 1.25 million citizens yearly through its orderly, screened quota system. Why overhaul it?

As Rep. Gregg Harper of Mississippi states, allowing amnesty to those who broke our laws is unfair to the millions waiting in line to enter legally.

Visit endillegalimmigration.com

SHEILA YOUNG

Hutchinson

http://www.hutchnews.com/Westernfront/flawsidsa