Published on Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Guest Opinion: Bush-Kennedy amnesty proposal on immigration fails on all counts
By DENNY REHBERG U.S. Representative


Every year, Americans hear repeated promises from Washington, D.C., of real immigration reform. This drumbeat of empty rhetoric invariably includes pledges of better border security and a guarantee that the millions of illegal aliens already living in our country will be punished. Unfortunately, the actual legislation currently being debated in Congress does virtually nothing to meet America's needs in terms of immigration reform.

This week, members of the Senate introduced their attempt at such reform. Many of the leaders in the Senate, as well as the president, heralded this compromise bill as a fair and comprehensive solution to fixing the flood of illegal aliens into our country. In truth, the approach taken by the Senate and the president is misguided and wrong.

Americans have asked for real reform. They rightly want to know that the millions of illegal aliens who have chosen to cut in line will have to go back and start over. This is simply a matter of fairness to each and every legal resident who followed the law when coming to this country. An immigrant's first act in our country shouldn't be an illegal one.


Secure borders first

Americans have also asked, first and foremost, for border security. We can't fix the problems inside our borders until we fix the problems on our borders. If we begin to deal with the millions of illegal aliens already here, without first finding a way to stop millions more from coming in, we're fighting a hopeless, losing battle.

The Senate bill fails to do anything real about border security. In fact, the bill introduces what it calls "triggers" to strengthen our borders, yet many of these triggers were already taken care of in past legislation. One example is the Senate bill's requirement of 370 miles of border fence. This is actually a reduction from the 700 miles of fence passed last year in the Secure Fence Act. Another example is a requirement for 18,000 border patrol agents. Through requirements passed in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, we are already on pace to surpass that number in the next two years alone.

One of the key questions surrounding the immigration debate is the definition of amnesty. The proponents of the Senate bill will argue until they are blue in the face that the guest worker programs provided don't qualify as amnesty. Well, to me it's pretty simple. Amnesty occurs when an illegal alien, instead of being deported as required by law, is provided legal status in America and allowed to stay. This is exactly what will result under this legislation.

The Senate's legislation in effect provides amnesty by granting a permanent "probationary" status to illegal aliens. Worse, it allows for illegal aliens to buy a free pass to stay in the country for a mere $1,000 fine, a pretty small penalty for breaking such a serious law. In essence, it rewards 12 million illegal aliens for breaking the law by giving them a workers permit after a brief scolding. Furthermore, it doesn't even require illegal aliens to pay back taxes while they've been in the country, rewarding them with the free use of the goods and services Americans are blessed with that are funded through taxpayer dollars.

Hold employers accountable

The legislation does nothing to hold employers accountable for hiring illegal aliens. Providing such accountability could be done with a twofold process that punishes employers for knowingly disobeying the law, while also providing them with the tools needed to verify that the documents of the workers they are hiring are authentic. When employers hire illegal aliens, they take jobs from hardworking Americans. That's not right.

As Montana's congressman, I'll do everything I can to ensure this legislation doesn't get through the House. Additionally, I'll work with my colleagues to find a real border-security-first solution to halting illegal immigration and protecting both the northern and southern border. Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

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