Jeff Sessions: No immigration bill better than bad one
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ALABAMA VOICES: No immigration bill better than bad one
June 25, 2006
By Jeff Sessions
Late last month, the Senate, by a vote of 62-36, passed what proponents called a "comprehensive" immigration bill. I was among the group of 36 senators - 32 Republicans, four Democrats - to oppose the measure.
The American people were counting on us to secure our borders and restore the rule of law to our immigration system. Unfortunately, the Senate let the American people down by passing a deeply flawed bill that would give the illegal alien population every benefit this nation can bestow, and increase future legal immigration levels by nearly three times the current level.
The bill also fails to secure the border or establish effective border enforcement. Additionally, between 80 percent and 85 percent of the large influx would be admitted without having to meet any educational, skill or language requirements.
The fatal flaws of this bill are numerous. Here are a few of the most egregious examples:
Border security: Although I was glad the Senate approved my amendment to increase the amount of fencing and vehicle barriers along our southwest border, the bill is fatally flawed because the amnesty will be effective upon passage but these are only unfunded promises of enforcement in the future. That follows the exact pattern of the 1986, once-and-for-all amnesty, where amnesty was granted but enforcement never occurred.
Workplace enforcement: Workplace enforcement is an integral component of effective immigration enforcement. Today, no mandatory workplace verification system exists. The provisions in the bill that attempt to address the problems in the workplace are deficient and will not work.
Amnesty: If amnesty means anything, it means giving illegal aliens every benefit that legal immigrants receive. Under the bill, a vast majority of the illegal alien population will be given every benefit our nation can bestow on its citizens, including participation in the Social Security System based on their illegal work histories using fraudulent Social Security numbers.
Temporary worker program is not temporary: Though it has been sold as a "temporary guest worker program," there is nothing "temporary" about the new guest worker program created by this bill. Almost every "temporary guest worker" who comes in the future would be eligible for legal permanent resident status (a green card) and put on the path to citizenship shortly after arriving in the United States.
Future immigration levels: The bill would increase future legal immigration at nearly three times the current level. Instead of 18.9 million people coming in the next 20 years, the United States could issue 53.1 million green cards by 2026. That number is far too high and has never been explained or justified.
The needs of the United States: The bill does nothing to ensure that our nation's future immigration policy reflects our country's needs. Other developed nations have been reforming their immigration policies to prioritize high-skilled immigration over low-skilled and extended family chain migration. This bill prioritizes low-skilled and chain migration over skill-based immigration, an approach we should reject.
Fiscal impact: No official study has been conducted on the huge adverse financial impact this bill will create in the out years. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill will increase direct spending by $54 billion and discretionary spending by $64 billion in just the first 10 years. The Heritage Foundation projects the bill will increase long-term federal spending in the second 10 years by at least $50 billion a year.
These are staggering numbers that indicate that this bill might have costs as great as half a trillion dollars in any future 10-year period. This bill is a monumental budget buster. These dramatic costs are the result of favoring low-skill immigrants.
The House of Representatives has passed its own immigration bill that calls for stronger enforcement of our immigration laws inside our borders, enhanced border security (including 700 miles of fencing) and real penalties for employers of illegal immigrants.
The huge gap between the Senate and House bills will be hard to bridge in a traditional conference committee process.
As a conferee, I intend to do everything in my power to create a lawful system for the future and to establish a future flow that serves our just national interests. The pressure to "just pass something" is great, but we cannot yield to such political pressures. The American people must remain alert because this government has consistently failed them on the matter of immigration.
No bill is better than a bad bill.
Jeff Sessions is Alabama's junior U.S. senator. Write him at 335 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510-0104.
