http://www.philippinenews.com/

No easy solution to illegal immigration
Ludy Ongkeko, Oct 19, 2005
One of the important departments under the aegis of the Department of Homeland Security is immigration. As a matter of fact, comprehensive immigration reform is one issue that is direly needed in this country.

Only recently, California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offered one of his Terminator-like solutions to immigration: "Close the borders." This, after records show that the numbers of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has soared.

Reports show there are now at least 10 million illegal immigrants. How can they all be deported?

The Terminator's message did not carry the "how." All he said was, "It is a federal issue. And the only thing that I can say and add to this is, really, close the borders. Close the borders in California and all across Mexico and the U.S."

However strong Governor Arnold's words appear to sound, he knows the U.S. cannot actually physically enforce border closures without courting human rights and logistical problems. There are 2,000 miles between San Ysidro, California and Brownsville, Texas. How realistic would that be?

For damage control, the governor's spokesman tried to come to his chief's rescue. He immediately declared that what the governor meant to say was "that the border should be secured not closed." Then what ensued was another explanation from the Terminator himself. He called a press conference and apologized for his "choice of words" and tried to backtrack. It was for his listeners to conclude that he was utilizing the language card, invoking that he is an Austrian immigrant for whom "English is a second language."

"What I said was a total screw-up in the words I used," the California governor said. "Because instead of closing, I mean securing. I think maybe my English, I need to go back to school and study a little bit." He sounded like he was trying to be Hollywood-cute. But his statements brushed the nerve of a serious political issue.

Granted the borders could be secured. But the reality is that there is no letup in the employment of illegal immigrants. A well-known anti-immigrant politician, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), believes the immigration problem should be dealt with as a national security issue. Stopping undocumented workers from coming and staying here is the way to prevent "another terrorist attack."

That reasoning is disputable. Let's just go back to the 9/11 terrorists. Aren’t their papers "in order"? One news item stated that some of their accomplices had received visa extensions even after those vicious and diabolical attacks.

A senator from Idaho, Larry Craig (R), has worked on introducing a bill that would grant amnesty only to agricultural workers. However, I believe such a limited act would not solve the problems of the other sources of work in this country, namely industries and manufacturing. What will happen to the large number of undocumented workers who do not work the fields? Craig has been opposed by even his conservative colleagues who countered that "amnesty only creates more illegal immigration."

As long as there are employers who continue to hire illegal immigrants, they will always find a way to get "jobs that Americans won't do,� as President Bush likes to put it.

We have all read about foreigners who braved the elements, traveled by boats for months while suffering hunger and thirst just to be able to make it to America. Some of them pay huge amounts of money to smugglers who hide them in shipments and transport them as human cargo.

The bottom line for illegal immigrants is that they'll resort to doing whatever it takes to get here, using the same methods by which the waves of illegal immigrants did before them.

What therefore is the answer to illegal immigration? There has not been any tried and effective response. Perhaps, we could start with employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants in violation of the law. Fines may be too lenient a penalty, but maybe a long jail term would send them a strong message.

A guest workers' program proposed by the Bush administration, has raised some concerns. Among them: how will the government implement working visas with any assurance that the new workers who come here to earn at least 10 times what they make in their original homes will leave after two or three years only to return to the impoverished circumstances they left behind?

The solution will not be simple or easy. It will cause tremendous hardship to the immigrants and everyone else. It will affect the nation's economy. In the past, band-aid solutions may have worked, but looking to the future, these stopgap measures can only aggravate the illegal immigration problem in the years to come.

1 of 1
L. Gonzales
Oct 19, 2005 07:27:37

This is indeed a complicated problem that has evaded solution for years. Back in 1986. when the immigration act was revamped and five million illegal immigrants were granted amnesty, it was assumed that would solve the problem. It did not - it just emboldened more to come here illegally, usually through the porous Mexican border.

A number of elements make solving this issue quite taxing: the number of illegals in this country, 11 million; the sanctity of our laws, which has been violated; the demand by greedy companies for cheap labor; the security of this country
against the background of the 9/11 tragedy; and the dirty politics being played on both sides of the isle.

But above all these considerations, we ought to acknowledge that all these illegals came to this country in violation of our laws. When those of us who came here legally consider what we had to go through - background checks, personal interviews, approval by the State Department, sponsors in the United States attesting we won't be fiscally welfare recipients, and the years of waiting to come here - it does not sound right
to wink, turn a blind eye, and grant amnesty to these illegals as President Bush and his minions want to do. That's not going to pass muster.

The myth that illegals contribute to our economy is nothing but that - a myth. The Center for Immigration Studes concluded that hosting the illegals costs the government at least $20 billion a year. Most Americans want strict enforcement of our laws, exemplified by propositions passed in California, Arizona and Arkansas.

Instead of the Kennedy-McCain bill, we should support strongly the
Cornyn-Kyl bill, which would demand respect for our laws and NO amnesty for illegals. I'm willing to bet that would be the law of the land.