Thread: It's not 'amnesty' when the law is a shambles

http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/opinion/100197.php

It's not 'amnesty' when the law is a shambles


The Star's view: It's not only practical but fair to let illegal immigrants remain here in pursuit of permanent status. They are not criminals in need of pardon.

In the interest of protecting one thread in the tapestry of America, we threaten to unravel many others.

Congressional Republicans are taking up the cause of comprehensive immigration reform, finally driven by growing concerns about their paramount issue - national security. In ignoring the broader issue for so long, the nation's leaders have allowed the population of illegal immigrants to grow to the size of Ohio, 11 million people by the most reliable estimates.

What to do with this population, more so than how high the fence will be or how to admit new immigrants, is likely to drive the debate over immigration reform.

One side of the issue has dug in its heels so deeply that the prospects for meaningful compromise are fading. This position holds that these 11 million people, a conservative figure but one that still represents nearly 4 percent of the U.S. population, must be sent home first if they wish to return.

The practical arguments against such an approach should carry the day on their own. First, a population that has lived successfully in the shadows of America is unlikely to step forward and risk losing the benefits it has enjoyed. Strict enforcement now of existing laws raises the specter of a national roundup with overtones of ethnic cleansing. More important for Americans, economic chaos may result; this group makes up a sizable portion of the nation's work force, doing jobs that Americans have shown they don't want to do.

Practical considerations, though, take a back seat to the rule of law, say the most strident defenders of our borders, including Arizona junior Sen. Jon Kyl, sponsor of one comprehensive reform bill. "No amnesty" is their mantra. Even those who would allow illegal workers to stay, including Arizona senior Sen. John McCain, take pains to distance themselves from the "A" word. McCain notes that the bill he sponsors would make illegal immigrants pay what amounts to a criminal fine first if they wish to remain.

But beyond the practical considerations is a simple question of fairness, an ideal woven throughout America's system of laws.

"Amnesty" is entirely the wrong word for any plan that would allow illegal immigrants to remain in this country. Amnesty is a pardon for political offenses, according to Webster's New World Dictionary, and the offense in this case is difficult to recognize. People who cross our borders without the proper paperwork do indeed violate the federal code. They are judged guilty by the thousands every week, usually through the rump court of practicality administered directly by the Border Patrol.

But 11 million people do not establish themselves as an integral part of a national economy without the tacit approval of society as a whole. Businesses willingly hire illegal labor to save money; they can fend off blame, thanks to a system of enforcement that is broken. For their part, consumers reap the benefits of cheap and illegal labor without complaint.

A law unenforced carries no weight. It is, arguably, no law at all. And yet 11th-hour fidelity to a rule that's in shambles has become the line in the sand for false reformers such as Kyl. They should, instead, for reasons of fairness as well as practicality, recognize the history that brought these partners to the place we share today.

Comprehensive immigration reform will restore the rule of law, preserve a sound economy and pull people out of the shadows of a Third World within our own country - one lacking in many basic human rights.

These changes can only occur if we stop viewing illegal immigrants as criminals angling for a pardon.

I think I know where the writer of this article could get a better job. At the White House.

This is mindless, and rediculous, and very Bushesque. However, even the Bush Admin. wouldn't try to go down this road. I've never in my life. See where the mentality is today ??

Hey Buddy, I need some electricity, I'm tired of cold showers. Where do you live ? I'm coming and I'm bringing the whole family. There may be laws about breaking and entering....but if we're doing it for right reasons, we just want a warm shower and to have a stove like you have....then too bad, Buddy. Fair is fair. Everyone in this country should at least have a warm shower, so get over it. What's yours is mine, because I went through a hurricane. By the way, we're all going to use your medical insurance card to get a check up. We can't find ours. Can't find our social security cards either. Hmmm.

(Just kidding we know where everything is!! I'm just trying to make a point with this moron that there's LEGAL and there's ILLEGAL. Why is that so appalling and heartbreaking to him? Would his good nature and kind heart extend to all hurricane victims? Does it have to be a Katrina victim?
Why not a Wilma victim. Does he discriminate against hurricane victims?
Where does this moron draw the line? I know where...when it effects him personally that's where. He is probably illegal himself or ended up here because his parents came illegally. That is so often the case with these people. They bring the lawless mentality and way of life with them.)

WELL, WE'RE NOT ACCEPTING IT ANYMORE !! GOT IT ?!?!