Thread: Power-hungry are exploiting illegal-migrant problem

Power-hungry are exploiting illegal-migrant problem
Feb. 10, 2008 12:00 AM

Every day Congress fails to act on illegal immigration, our nation suffers. Next year is too late.

Our borders stand open to Islamic terrorists who seek to kill us. Arizona's employer-sanctions law is ripping us apart - perhaps damaging our economy. This fall, we face a divisive battle over a more draconian initiative.

We lack enough legal workers to do some low-skilled jobs. Some employers look the other way and hire workers they suspect are illegal.

Unscrupulous employers hire illegals, exploiting the status quo, because they can, and they can profit doing so. We don't have the ability to catch and punish them.

Employers who follow the law lose out to those who break it.

If Congress did its job, none of this would be happening. And, there is a relatively straight-forward compromise we could adopt if the extremists on each side cared more about solving the problem than advancing their goals. Unfortunately, they would rather exploit this issue than solve it. One side demands a path to citizenship for virtually every illegal. Not because that's what illegals are asking for but to enhance their own political power.

Want proof? They reject every proposal that doesn't include a path to citizenship, even though there is strong evidence, academic and anecdotal, that most illegals simply want to be able to work here, travel back and forth to their homes and not be arrested.

Any solution that doesn't lead to citizenship and registration is unacceptable because they want votes and power.

As for the other side, the "round 'em up and ship 'em home" crowd, many genuinely fear the influence of too many immigrants here solely for jobs. They honor the rule of law and want citizens to embrace our values: democracy, freedom, individual responsibility. Valid concerns.

But why not stop the hemorrhaging? Why oppose creating a temporary status for non-citizens so we can identify the illegals who are here, require background checks, deport those with criminal records and secure our border? It would appear the leaders of this group prefer the political power derived from capitalizing on the fear of these "outsiders."

Both extremes reject a program allowing a limited number of foreign laborers to work here, not because it wouldn't help secure our borders; it would. Non-citizens simply seeking employment would cross at lawful points of entry. Those crossing elsewhere would either be smugglers, terrorists or criminals; we could catch and deal harshly with them.

They don't oppose such a solution because it wouldn't address our need for workers to perform low-skilled jobs.

They don't oppose such a proposal because it would allow too many in and result in U.S. citizens losing their jobs. The only hope we have of limiting the number taking jobs from Americans, which is happening too much already, is to stop the current unregulated flow of illegals.

Such a system would take away the justification for hiring illegals. Allowing employers to hire from a limited pool of foreign workers would eliminate any excuse for hiring illegals. Employers who continue to do so would be easier to find and punish.

Congress should reject the vocal extremists at each end of this debate. It should create a limited, temporary-worker program without any access to green cards or citizenship. It should be open only to those who pass criminal background checks, have jobs and are not burdening public-support programs designed to help Americans in need. We must continue to strengthen our borders. And we should remove the incentive to cross illegally.

This issue isn't insolvable. It's being exploited by a narrow few.

The writer, a Republican, represents Arizona's 3rd Congressional District.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... egg10.html

As far as illegal immigration goes, anything less than deportation is amnesty.

Congress should reject the vocal extremists at each end of this debate. It should create a limited, temporary-worker program without any access to green cards or citizenship. It should be open only to those who pass criminal background checks, have jobs and are not burdening public-support programs designed to help Americans in need. We must continue to strengthen our borders. And we should remove the incentive to cross illegally.

And we are to have blind trust in a foreign government's criminal background check on an individual when many foreign governments are well-known for their governmental corruption and bribery systems.....I don't think so.

And we are to assume these temporary-workers are disease-free and don't pose a public health threat without a thorough health screening process....I don't think so.

And we are to allow temporary-workers without access to green cards or means to track them access to our entire county.......I don't think so.

And we are to allow big corporations to have 'cheap labor' without benefits and insurance who don't accept accountability and responsibility for actions of their temporary-workers....I don't think so.

"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power."
Franklin D. Roosevelt