Thread: MI:Building a better border

PUBLISHED: Sunday, June 22, 2008
Building a better border

Report urges spending more money on security

By Christy Strawser
Macomb Daily Staff Writer

A new legislative report outlines recommendations to lessen the impact of illegal immigration on security, the economy and job opportunities in Michigan.

Measures range from simple solutions such as increasing patrols along Lake St. Clair to more elaborate suggestions like implementing prison labor programs on farms to cut the job market for illegal workers, and creating driver's licenses that can be used for entry into Canada without a passport.

"This important public act will strengthen our border, allow for the flow of commerce across it, and keep driver's licenses out of the hands of illegal immigrants," according to the report.

The Michigan Task Force on Border Security and Immigration Reform report was released last week after four public hearings in Port Huron, Flint, Jenison and Troy.

The task force of four Republican state representatives listened to concerns from residents, business owners, local law enforcement and border patrol agents to compile recommendations to steer the conversation about illegal immigration.

About 15 recommendations came from the hearings, including requiring the Auditor General to estimate the cost of illegal immigration, allowing non-federal officers to ask about immigration status, and penalizing "sanctuary cities" like Detroit, which does not enforce immigration laws.

Also urged was prohibiting the use of a Mexican Consular Card as ID, forbidding municipal ID cards, disallowing banks from offering credit to illegal immigrants, colleges from giving them in-state tuition rates and labor unions from recruiting them.

Making it easier for farmers to use the agricultural guest worker program is recommended, too. Joining the program now takes approval from four government agencies.

"That's something Congress has been working very diligently on; there aren't enough guest worker permits to go around," said U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township. "I think the guest workers, as long as they have the proper permits, should be utilized."

In defense of migrant workers, Mike Yancho St., vice president of Trim Pines Farm Inc., in Grand Blanc said farmers are willing to pay higher transportation and housing costs for those workers because they work harder than local hires.

Yancho told the task force their "productivity, work ethic, practical working knowledge and quality of work is greater," according to a meeting synopsis.

But illegal workers take too much money out of the beleaguered Michigan economy, according to state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville, a task force member. Fellow members were state Rep. Chuck Moss, R-Birmingham, Rep. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair County, and Rep. Dave Robertson, R-Grand Blanc.

"Illegal immigration costs taxpayers too much money each year to ignore," Agema said.

The illegal immigrant population in the United States rose from 8.5 million to 11.6 million between 2000 and 2006 -- a 37 percent spike, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Recognizing Michigan as an immigration hot spot, the federal government agreed to add 30-50 percent more border control staff in the Detroit Sector, which is headquartered at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

A Great Lakes Air and Marine Wing division will be established later this summer at Selfridge with new boats, airplanes, and 50 to 100 more personnel, Miller said. There are currently about 220 border patrol staff at five stations, including a new one in Marysville.

"The Detroit area has been recognized as a significant risk to border security, so the Detroit sector is the No. 4 focus sector in border patrol, only behind three southwest borders," said Daniel Hiebert, assistant chief patrol agent for the Detroit Sector.

They're also getting help from local law enforcement, especially the Macomb County Sheriff's Department Marine Division, which keeps an eye on Lake St. Clair.

"We do that as part of our normal patrols," Sheriff Mark Hackel said. "We do have a good working relationship with our border patrol. Law enforcement has taken on a new role since 9-11. It's an outreach our agency is dealing with."
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/0622 ... al02.shtml

Sounds like official up there get it. I'd like to see their figures on the "costs of illegals" are to them. I bet when they get them their eyes will . Detroit is a ghost town. No jobs, no taxpayers to pay the revenue for free medical care, schools, etc.

I met a young man going cross country on the train who described his experience as an immigrant smuggler. He worked for a wholesale florist who had greenhouses on both sides of the border and permission to drive trucks through without thorough inspection. A Polish organized criminal cut a deal with him under which he got paid to put Poles inside his trucks behind the cab hidden by boxes of flowers. The INS got him eventually but by the time that I met him he was out and finishing college.

"Making it easier for farmers to use the agricultural guest worker program is recommended."

Evidently this was the original request to our elected officials from U.S. farmers apart from very large agri-producers: that our present H-2A "Temporary Worker Program for Agriculture" simply be made less cumbersome and less expensive for them to use! This program allows U.S. farmers to bring an unlimited number of temporary foreign workers to the United States each year legally, and fully protects the rights of these workers while they are here.

When we make calls protesting amnesty under such legislation as the "AG-JOBS" bill, I have found it good when possible to include the hope that--rather than spending our time as a nation debating eternally whether foreign workers should be given U.S. residency/citizenship as a part of their private "employment package"--that we turn instead to modifying our existing H-2A Program so that it is more efficient for U.S. farmers to use.

U.S. agriculture is one of the largest, and traditionally most honored, segments of our national economy, and should remain so with our full support as long as its members operate within the laws of our nation! U.S. farmers are unmatched in the world for their production and excellence, and, as we face soaring food prices and outbreaks of food poisoning as our food sources become "globalized", surely even urban natives have some appreciation now of what having an excellent, home-grown, and extremely inexpensive food supply (compared to third world countries) has meant to the general prosperity of the United States!

I tried getting my family to look at this program for our farm I favor simplifying H2A over amnesty.

In defense of migrant workers, Mike Yancho St., vice president of Trim Pines Farm Inc., in Grand Blanc said farmers are willing to pay higher transportation and housing costs for those workers because they work harder than local hires.

Yancho told the task force their "productivity, work ethic, practical working knowledge and quality of work is greater," according to a meeting synopsis.

These statements always make me leary of their agenda, it tells me they can get the workers but are not willing to pay a decent wage.

I believe in a guest worker program, one that lets them come here and work for the duration of the season, without their family to use our social programs, our schools, and our hospitals.

The only way to keep this program from being abused by the farmers is make sure these people are paid the going wage, same as an American would receive, then lets see if their view is still the same on work ethic's.