Thread: ALIPAC: Immigration confusion

Immigration confusion

Friday, August 12, 2011

The Santa Maria Times

We mentioned in a recent editorial that California’s illegal immigrant population has been shrinking, perhaps by as many as several hundred thousand in the past couple of years.

Among the reasons for that exodus are the weak economy in this country, a strengthening middle class in Mexico, where job opportunities are growing, and that individuals and families can finally afford a home.

In many ways, that’s all good for this country and for California. There are problems, of course, not the least of which is a draining of a large, reliable labor pool, used primarily by this country’s service and agriculture industries.

But on balance, having fewer people breaking the law is better than having too many breaking the law.

However, this outflow of one-time illegal entrants is complicated by the Obama administration’s almost schizophrenic immigration policies.

On the one hand, federal agencies are being pushed to protect our borders against illegal immigration. On the other hand, those same agencies are being asked to screen people heading back into Mexico, ostensibly to stem the flow of contraband — primarily firearms and ammunition — to our neighbor to the south.

The contradiction in these policies is so glaring that anti-illegal immigration groups are lobbying the Obama administration to ease the rules that are preventing thousands of illegal immigrants from going home.

Interviews with Mexican citizens at border crossings trying to get back home indicate this blockade is widely known among immigrants, and the fear of being detained is keeping many of them from even attempting to return to Mexico.

Americans for Legal Immigration — a vociferous, vigorous opponent of illegal immigration — has asked the Obama administration to waive certain rules that might prevent Mexican citizens from heading back home. The group’s officials have even suggested the administration guarantee safe, hassle-free passage out of the United States.

This is yet another reminder of how disjointed and disconnected this nation’s immigration policy can be. President Obama and Congress have big fiscal problems on their hands at the moment, but they need to take time to discuss a more commonsense immigration policy.

Read more: http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion ... z1Up6a1f9Y

Isn't it amazing how they always say it's so impossible to deport all these illegals, yet when they leave on their own, they give them a hard time?