Thread: Cranberry Hears Illegal Immigration Debate

http://www.gatewaynewspapers.com/cranbe ... nal/64359/

Cranberry hears illegal immigration debate
By Kathryn Sheranko, Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 9, 2006

As the "National Security Begins at Home" package moves forward, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has new perspectives to consider.


Metcalfe (R-12) led the final House Majority Policy Committee hearing on illegal immigration last week at the Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry.



As in previous hearings, much of the testimony centered around effective border security.



"The federal government refuses to do its job. It refuses to do the very basic and secure the border," said Angela Buchanan, Team America Political Action Committee chairwoman.



Mandatory verification of the legal status of employees and ensuring state contracts are awarded to companies that hire Americans should also be top priorities, said Buchanan.



Federal efforts are ineffective, she said, and state and local governments aren't doing enough.



"They'll say this is a federal issue, this isn't our responsibility. Well, I'm afraid it is your responsibility because, first and foremost, you're Americans."



In Pennsylvania, most illegal immigrants are employed in agriculture, Metcalfe said. A federal "guest worker" program is in place to hire seasonal employees, but is hardly used because it is usually more cost-effective to hire undocumented workers.



"We can't wait for the federal government to solve the problem," said Jon Dougherty, author and policy analyst at Freedom Alliance in Washington, D.C.



For every illegal immigrant caught by border patrol, he said four or five more make it through, forcing the federal government to take a "backup role" to states.



"The very first thing we must do is reduce the incentive for people who are in the country illegally to come to your state."



Pennsylvania is also hurt by dollars spent on state aid and incarceration of illegal immigrants, said Richard Sheetz Jr., deputy state attorney general in charge of the criminal law division.



In 2000, 49,000 illegal immigrants lived in Pennsylvania, he said. Millions of dollars were spent on them through state programs like healthcare, education and workers' compensation.



"The Federation for American Immigration Reform provides an estimated cost to Pennsylvania taxpayers for providing these illegal immigrants and guest workers with emergency medical care, education and incarceration -- $285 million annually, which is projected to increase dramatically if illegal immigrants are granted amnesty."



State Rep. Mike Turzai (R-2 asked if a statewide mandatory verification program could be implemented.



"We think this is an area that we would be willing to work with you on," Sheetz said. "We think we could draft something that may be enforceable."



Not all participants felt turning immigrants away is the answer.



In written testimony, Celeste Taylor, state coordinator of People for the American Way, said immigration law should be designed to protect undocumented workers and set "realistic quotas" that satisfy the economy's needs for labor.



"Making migration more easily accessible for unskilled workers will dramatically shrink the flow of illegal immigration," Taylor said.



"America does not need to be further divided by laws that turn neighbor against neighbor."

"Making migration more easily accessible for unskilled workers will dramatically shrink the flow of illegal immigration," Taylor said.

I'm a little confused about this statement. Making illegals legal or changing the laws to increase migration is not going to solve the problem. Actually increasing legal migrants will expand the need for social programs, hospital care, educational facilities, etc. These needed expansions will come at a cost to American taxpayers. These so-called unskilled workers will not pay enough in taxes to cover their social and medical needs. So obviously the person making this comment is advocating that Americans keep subsidizing businesses cheap labor.

On top of everything else, Taylor's comment shows that he has failed to consider the possibility that by allowing more in legally, we are encouraging more to come illegally - especially their relatives, family members, and friends.

In written testimony, Celeste Taylor, state coordinator of People for the American Way, said immigration law should be designed to protect undocumented workers and set "realistic quotas" that satisfy the economy's needs for labor.

Why do we never read that the 10-20 million illegals here, to a degree, are creating a demand that they then fill? I mean - these 10-20 million people are taking up a lot of housing and many of them work in construction. They are eating a lot of lettuce, among other things, and many of them work in agriculture.

If we follow Celeste Taylor's logic, there will never be an end to the need for low skilled legal or illegal workers "that satisfy the economy's needs for labor."

When is enough enough? This country is going to be gridlocked and American taxpayers are going to be poor.