Thread: Three views on immigration policy L.A. TIMES

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The conversation: Three views on immigration policy


March 11, 2011 | 12:09 pm

Immigration enforcement plan Secure Communities should be shelved or retooled

The Obama administration is right to enforce immigration laws, and smart to focus on those who pose the greatest danger to communities. With an estimated 11 million people illegally living and working in the United States, immigration officials can't deport everyone, and would waste precious resources in the effort to do so.

But Secure Communities isn't succeeding at targeting violent criminals. Instead, it is increasingly diverting police from public safety for other purposes. The White House should heed the recommendations of police chiefs who are calling on federal immigration officials to stop trying to turn police into immigration agents.
-- Los Angeles Times editorial
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Obama should consider Utah's common-sense, market-based answer to the immigration question

As Reagan himself pointed out: "Are great numbers of our unemployed really victims of the illegal alien invasion, or are those illegal tourists actually doing work our own people won't do? One thing is certain in this hungry world: No regulation or law should be allowed if it results in crops rotting in the fields for lack of harvesters."

In other words, if businesses can’t find U.S. workers for certain jobs, government should not stop them from hiring the foreign workers they need. […]

The Utah immigrant work permit program should serve as a model for Republicans in other states, and even in Congress, about how to address the immigration crisis within a conservative framework of limited government and the free market. The "Utah solution" demonstrates that there are Republicans who want to work on the issue constructively -- and are willing to pass laws welcoming to immigrants.
-- Alfonso Aguilar, Politico
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More support for the 'Utah Way'

[T]he "Utah Way," as some are calling it,
is also a fraternal attack on Republicans, in Washington and elsewhere, whose only strategy is to demonize, criminalize and deport 11 million illegal immigrants. […]

Utah's guest-worker bill doesn't grant citizenship, of course, but in every other way it's exactly what national Republicans have derided as "amnesty." It would grant work permits to undocumented immigrants, and their immediate families, who pay a fine, clear a criminal background check and study English.

The bill's chief sponsor, state Rep. Bill Wright, is a plain-spoken dairy farmer who describes his politics as "extremely" conservative, likes Sarah Palin and believes he may have once voted for a Democrat - possibly 40 years ago for sheriff. He admires the work ethic of the Hispanic farmhands he's employed over the years and doesn't care much for anything the government does, least of all the idea that it might deport millions of immigrant workers and their families.

-- Lee Hockstader, The Washington Post
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Stop illegal immigration: America’s not a "free-for-all"

[Ron Paul] is tough on illegal immigration. He wrote on his Web site that "decades of misguided policies" have left America "a free-for-all." He has a six-point plan to stop illegal immigration:
1-Physically secure the borders and coastline
2-Enforce visa rules
3-No Amnesty
4-No welfare for illegal aliens
5-End birthright citizenship
6-Pass true immigration reform

http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/20 ... ab1490970d
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Ron Paul on the Issues

News by Mark Berman Opposing Views

(1 Day Ago) in Politics
Texas Rep. Ron Paul is something of a political enigma. Along with isolationists and Libertarians, the Republican is very popular among young people. His supporters have packed the CPAC conference the past two years, driving him to victory in the presidential straw polls.
But many critics say he is not mainstream enough to win a Republican presidential nomination. Despite energizing his loyal followers, he was a non-factor when he ran in 2008.

Now that the GOP is back in power in the House, Paul is currently the Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy, where he has oversight over the Federal Reserve. He has been calling for the Fed's abolishment for years.
His views still carry influence. Here is a rundown of how he stands on the issues:

1) War on Drugs & Marijuana Legalization
Paul is against America's long and costly war on drugs. He told the Web site On The Issues that marijuana and other drugs should be decriminalized on the federal level, and that states should have the option of regulating them.
In a 2008 The New York Times/Freakonomics interview, he said:
"The federal war on drugs has proven costly and ineffective, while creating terrible violent crime. But if you question policy, you are accused of being pro-drug. That is preposterous. As a physician, father, and grandfather, I abhor drugs. I just know that there is a better way — through local laws, communities, churches, and families — to combat the very serious problem of drug abuse than a massive federal-government bureaucracy."

2) War in Afghanistan
Paul is against the war in Afghanistan. Speaking on a video on his web site in 2009, Paul said:
"The one thing for certain is that our national security is not threatened by us not being in Afghanistan. Our national security is much more threatened by us being in Afghanistan. Or for that reason, any place in that region at all. That’s where our real problems come from."

3) Abortion
Paul is against abortion. As a doctor, Paul has delivered 4,000 babies and feels life starts at conception. In a 1999 speech to Congress, Paul said:
"I am strongly pro-life. I think one of the most disastrous rulings of this century was Roe versus Wade. I do believe in the slippery slope theory. I believe that if people are careless and casual about life at the beginning of life, we will be careless and casual about life at the end. Abortion leads to euthanasia. I believe that."
He argued that his pro-life views are consistent with his libertarian values, saying on Fox News in 2007, “If you can’t protect life then how can you protect liberty?â€

"He admires the work ethic of the Hispanic farmhands he's employed over the years."

Hey you admire nothing but the profits pal. From paying low wages to
third world peasants. You..Rep. Bill Wright are nothing but a modern day
slave owner. I am outraged..

Many of the comments on the Times' site are coming from people who favor enforcement and/or recognize that illegals result in depressed wages.
************************************************** ********************************
Americans first in this magnificent country

American jobs for American workers

Fair trade, not free trade

10) Border/Immigration
Paul is tough on illegal immigration. He wrote on his Web site that "decades of misguided policies" have left America "a free-for-all." He has a six-point plan to stop illegal immigration:
1-Physically secure the borders and coastline
2-Enforce visa rules
3-No Amnesty
4-No welfare for illegal aliens
5-End birthright citizenship
6-Pass true immigration reform

Seems like I remember reading somewhere that Paul has voted on amnesty in the past and has voted against military on the border each time it came up for a vote. Would be very interested to know what his vision of "true immigration reform" is.

the idea that it might deport millions of immigrant workers and their families

Now near as I can tell no one is suggesting that any immigrants be deported. Immigration is a legal process that comes with an invitation. The American people demand the deportation of non-immigrant foreign nationals that invade un-invited. This slave runner should be put out of office. Certainly, he's no conservative without respect for our law.

But Secure Communities isn't succeeding at targeting violent criminals. Instead, it is increasingly diverting police from public safety for other purposes. The White House should heed the recommendations of police chiefs who are calling on federal immigration officials to stop trying to turn police into immigration agents. As Reagan himself pointed out: "Are great numbers of our unemployed really victims of the illegal alien invasion, or are those illegal tourists actually doing work our own people won't do? One thing is certain in this hungry world: No regulation or law should be allowed if it results in crops rotting in the fields for lack of harvesters."

First of all, let me make something very clear; illegal immigrants do not employ jobs citizens will not employ and they are not fields and crop workers any more. Only a person that is out of touch with current news would not know this information.

Secondly, isn't every person who are apart of Law Enforcement job is to assist with keeping Communities free of crime? Don't job duties requires investigations of fraud and criminal crimes? Police officers take an oath to serve and protect, which means they have a responsibility to uphold State and Federal laws while performing job duties.

Most States have put laws into effect that allows police to assist with enforcing laws against illegal immigrants, so the talk about forcing polices to act like Federal Agents is incorrect. Only people who supports undocumented aliens tends to turn a blind eye to the truth and come up with untrue statements to try and swindle other people to their side of the fence, which is not working very well in the modern days.