Thread: A nation of laws -- and immigrants

www.miami.com/

Posted on Mon, May. 23, 2005

A nation of laws -- and immigrants

OUR OPINION: BILL OFFERS A REALISTIC FIX FOR AILING IMMIGRATION SYSTEM

Congress finally has a bill that could mend the country's ailing immigration system. Introduced in the House and Senate last week, The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act sets realistic immigration levels and adds tough enforcement. In short, the bipartisan bill offers law and order: an enforceable set of rules that would free up federal resources to concentrate on national-security threats. It should begin a thoughtful debate about sensible reforms.

Such reforms would vastly improve what we have today. When nearly 11 million people are in the United States illegally, there isn't enough money in the Treasury to find and deport them all. After all, no family wants to see its nanny taken away in chains.

What Americans want is a fair and comprehensive overhaul of unenforceable immigration laws. A recent national poll commissioned by the American Immigration Lawyers Association and National Immigration Forum reflects the sentiment. Three out of four likely voters said they would support changes that include: tougher penalties for workers and employers who break the law; temporary status for guest workers; a multiple-year process for obtaining legal status without preferential treatment; and prioritized family reunification.

The Secure America bill (S 1033/HR 2330) offers this and more. To establish an orderly, legal flow of workers from abroad, it would eliminate the underground economy of illegal labor. To do so, the bill sets a realistic ceiling for the future entry of temporary ''guest workers'' while offering temporary status to undocumented workers already employed here. Other provisions would make it tougher for undocumented workers or employers to violate the law -- and increase penalties for such violations. By radically reducing the number of illegal workers, the bill would free law enforcers to combat terrorist and criminal threats as well as the human smugglers and unscrupulous employers who prey on undocumented immigrants.

That the bill is a strongly bipartisan effort in an era of divisiveness is the icing that improves its prospects. Credit goes to Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., for the heavy lifting. They spent months developing a bill that generally hews to President Bush's guest-worker principles. The bill is garnering diverse support from business, labor, conservative and immigrant-advocate groups. We salute Reps. Lincoln and Mario DÃÂ*az-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for signing on as original cosponsors of the bill's House version and urge other Florida lawmakers, particularly Sen. Mel Martinez, to follow suit.

No doubt, challenges lie ahead. Anti-immigrant extremists already have begun to complain. They are the crowd that favors Band Aids, such as the just-approved Real ID bill, which may prevent undocumented immigrants from getting driver's licenses but won't improve national security or immigration-law enforcement.

That's why it is crucial for President Bush to weigh in. His guest-worker proposal made for good campaign sound bites last year -- but no legislation followed. And he encouraged Sen. McCain to develop this bill. President Bush should now acknowledge the bill's parallels with his guest-worker principles and encourage a constructive debate on immigration reform. The hope is for a comprehensive solution that works for this nation of laws and immigrants.

What Americans want is secure borders. Deported aliens. Enforced laws.

RR

Originally Posted by RoadRunner

What Americans want is secure borders. Deported aliens. Enforced laws.

RR

I agree. We don't need another amnesty disguised behind a bill called Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. Kennedy and McCain are way out of touch on this one. Losers. All they need to do is put the military on BOTH borders. Then I might feel more 'Secure'.