Thread: IN: We need your comments NOW!!!! Thanks

I have been told our state government monitors the comments closely, any help you can give will be appreciated




January 25, 2009

Wrong time, wrong focus: Immigration bill flawed

It's clear that state Sen. Mike Delph means well in proposing what he calls "one of the toughest illegal immigration bills in the country.''

The Republican from Carmel, in a meeting with The Star's Editorial Board last week, spoke passionately about observing the rule of law, about targeting businesses and individuals that exploit illegal immigrants and about protecting immigrants who on occasion are coerced into dangerous and demeaning jobs. Let's grant that Delph and many of his supporters are sincerely concerned about such important matters as national sovereignty, respect for the law and protection of civil rights.

But good intentions aren't enough to salvage a bad bill.

The first major problem with Senate Bill 580 involves timing. Amid a deep national recession, with companies eliminating jobs by the thousands, Delph's bill would add another layer of regulation, and more expense, on every business in the state.

Under the legislation, even nonprofit groups and hospitals would be forced to use the federal government's cumbersome E-Verify system before hiring workers, although such organizations would be exempt from the legal sanctions Delph has proposed.

With the recession deepening, problems associated with illegal immigration appear to be dissipating. As jobs disappear, fewer immigrants are sneaking into the United States, and some may even be returning to their native countries.

That development shouldn't be unexpected. Illegal immigration grew in recent years largely because of market forces. The United States had an abundance of jobs and a shortage of workers for some positions. Other nations had a large pool of workers eager to find jobs in the United States. The result was inevitable, especially given that the U.S. government was unwilling to create sufficient legal avenues for workers to enter the country.

Now, the jobs engine that pulled immigrants here has shifted into reverse.

A second weakness of Delph's proposal centers on legal jurisdictions and the proper role of the Indiana General Assembly. Even Delph acknowledges that illegal immigration is a federal issue. A state-by-state approach in addressing the matter can't help but create a legal patchwork that further hinders businesses.

Delph contends that federal inaction has forced states to address the problem. He says Barack Obama and other candidates ignored the issue in the presidential campaign out of fear of alienating Hispanic voters in Florida and other battleground states.

Another likely explanation, however, is that Americans' concerns about illegal immigration waned as more pressing problems emerged. A Pew Research poll this month found that immigration was 17th on a list of the 20 most important issues for the new president to address. A year ago, 51 percent of Americans polled said confronting illegal immigration should be a top priority; this year it's down to 41 percent.

The third, and perhaps biggest, weakness with Delph's proposal centers on its scope. The bill seemingly tries to address every angle of this complex issue.

If the senator had split the proposal into various bills, at least some likely would advance. No one, for instance, would defend smugglers who peddle female immigrants to pimps. Or "coyotes'' who sneak immigrants into the country under often dangerous conditions. Delph's bill would toughen the penalties against such exploitation. That part of it deserves strong support in the General Assembly.

Other aspects of the legislation, however, no matter how well intentioned, likely would create more problems than they solve.

http://www.indystar.com/article/2009012 ... /OPINION08

"Under the legislation, even nonprofit groups and hospitals would be forced to use the federal government's CUMBERSOME E-Verify system before hiring workers, although such organizations would be exempt from the legal sanctions Delph has proposed."

E-Verify is available, I believe, both on-line and by toll-free telephone, and each verification takes from 1 to 3 minutes to complete!