Immigration reform can't stop now
Originally posted on July 05, 2007

Our U.S. senators, Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez, showed great courage when they chose principle over popularity on the now-failed immigration reform bill.

They may suffer greatly for their unwavering support of doing something about curbing and addressing illegal immigration in a compassionate, realistic and holistic way.

Martinez's critics have already started efforts in opinion pieces and Web sites expressing their desire to recall him or defeat him come 2010 when he is up for re-election.

The senator, who also chairs the Republican National Committee, helped craft the bill, supported by President Bush, and which died last Thursday.

Senators decided 53-46 in a procedural vote that the bill would not reach the Senate floor for a final vote.

The bill would have created an earned citizenship program for many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country — creating carrots and sticks to integrate them into our culture.

The biggest carrot: eventual citizenship, after learning English, working an honest job, staying out of criminal mischief and paying thousands of dollars in fines.

The bill, if made law, would have dedicated more money and resources to secure the border and cracked down harder on employers who hire illegal immigrants.

The bill's opponents — on both the left and right — not only succeeded in derailing comprehensive immigration reform for now, but also in allowing for nothing to happen.

The status quo prevails.

One anti-Martinez site, recallmartinez.org, calls for, among other things: "No Amnesty," "Close our southern border," "Punish businesses that hire illegals" and "No taxpayer services for illegals (except in life or death situations)."

His detractors have accused him of flip-flopping his position on strong national security in favor of amnesty.

Yet the bill lacked any provision for amnesty of illegal immigrants — that is, giving them a free pass without any penalty — and those who said it for political gain or disinformation should be ashamed.

In a statement following the bill's defeat, Martinez clearly felt deflated: "What I would say is that going forward, I will do what I can, on this topic, but I do think, the burden has shifted to others to see what proposals, what solutions they will offer and they will have."

We encourage him and the 45 others who wanted reform to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start over again.

What will help is to make this process open, addressing critics' legitimate concerns about lax border security but separating that from xenophobic hype.

We will have to deal with this issue at some point — and what's called for is courageous action now.

Martinez may indeed destroy his political career by fighting for immigration reform, but this is not about him, and we hope he knows it.

It's about taking care of this nation's needs — security, workers and healthy growth and development, among them.

That's what a senator is supposed to be about.

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