No will in Congress for immigration reform

Ventura County Star (California)
August 16, 2010 Monday

With less than three months before the important mid-term elections, it is clear Congress has no stomach for straightening out the immigration mess nor for that matter does the Obama administration, although the president has paid lip service to the idea.

Meanwhile, back along the southwest border, illegal immigrants continue to stream into a country that has very few jobs for them.

The debate about how far a state can go to fill the void caused by congressional inaction rages on following a Justice Department suit to set aside Arizona's controversial law that would put immigration matters into state hands.

A federal district judge has ruled parts of the law unconstitutional.

Republicans want the strictest enforcement of the current mishmash of laws. Democrats don't have a clue.

There are an estimated 700,000-plus illegal immigrants in the student category, according to recent news reports.

The U.S. immigration authorities have practically declared a moratorium on deporting these young men and women.

Also, the early summer debate about the citizenship status of children born to illegal immigrants in this country seems to have subsided only temporarily with support picking up for proposals to amend the 14th Amendment to declare these offspring also illegal.

Congress plans to hold hearings this autumn on a constitutional amendment to change that language, something even moderate Republican senators support.

With a new study showing that undocumented mothers account for a disproportionate number of births, even some Democrats find it hard to stand opposed to altering the citizenship clause.

That at least signals some hope that calmer heads will prevail to reject a bad idea.

All this, of course, is merely to say that among the worst domestic problems in recent history will continue to resist solution because the nation's officials have no clue about what to do or the courage to do it if they did.

What impact all this will have on the elections is anyone's guess.

Probably not what may be expected given the volatility of the issue.

Obviously, politicians bordering Mexico all seem to be on the same page out of necessity when it comes to immigration, calling for action while walking a tightrope with some Hispanic voters.

The frustration over inaction can be seen in the fact that almost a dozen states are pushing their own legislation or plans that incorporate at least portions of Arizona's law that will require state and local authorities to also become immigration agents, identifying illegal immigrants, detaining them and reporting them to U.S. officials for immediate deportation.

It is, of course, a form of profiling no matter how much state authorities deny it.

Revising the 14th Amendment, which was an add-on to the abolition of slavery, is not a new issue.

Hardliners on immigration have been calling for its repeal for years.

It is an emotionally charged issue brought on by the fact it will affect children and families. Statistics also show that far fewer women find their way here merely to have babies than critics of the amendment contend.

So-called "birth tourism" is estimated at only a few thousand.

At the same time, the number of children of illegal immigrants already living here is put at about 4 million.

Revoking birthright citizenship clearly will increase the number of illegal aliens living here, creating whole generations of non-citizens and retarding any assimilation, critics contend.

- Dan K. Thomasson is former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail him at thomassondan@aol.com

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