Thread: Safe and open borders

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GLOBE EDITORIAL
Safe and open borders

May 21, 2005

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS do farm work that puts food on American tables. They clean workplaces. They work in meat-processing plants. They are a policy contradiction: boosting the economy but breaking the law.

Last week, Senators Ted Kennedy and John McCain offered some relief by filing the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, a model of good policy and good diplomacy. The bill would increase security and reform the law. It unites Democrats and Republicans, and it makes allies of liberals who praise the promise of reform and conservatives who laud the tough enforcement.

A key security feature is improved information-sharing and better coordination between other countries and this country's city, state, and federal governments. The bill also calls for enhanced technology. This is important, but as Sept. 11 showed, better human intelligence is essential. The bill would also give local law enforcement more money to pay for prosecuting illegal immigrants.

The bill would create 400,000 renewable, three-year, temporary visas for foreign workers, offering a rational alternative to sneaking into the country and working in the shadows. Companies could legally hire the workers they need. The visa would be portable, so workers could change jobs. And they could seek protection from workplace abuses or violations of their rights. Companies that continued to hire undocumented workers would face stiffer fines.

Other countries would join the effort, forming immigration pacts with the United States to control the flow of migration. Mexico and the United States would work together to create more healthcare options, for example, so the costs don't fall solely on this country.

A few provisions seem unwise. The bill calls for immigrants to pay a $500 fee for a temporary visa, a sum many are unlikely to have. There would also be a chance to seek permanent legal immigrant status, but only for those who could pay up to several thousand dollars in fees and fines.

The next step is selling the bill in Congress, where some may claim it coddles lawbreakers and encourages terrorists. This false charge should be confronted at every turn. Creating a legal path for migrant workers is not an automatic invitation to greater danger.

Business leaders have a stake in reform because rational laws will help them hire needed workers without breaking the law. And President Bush should add his approval.

Immigration and terrorism are largely separate issues. The events of Sept. 11 do mean that it's crucial for the country to increase security. But the Kennedy-McCain bill shows that safety can co-exist with comprehensive immigration reform.

Look its MSM supporting OPEN BORDERS! What a SHcok. We used to advertise in their paper, but that wont happen again. It really gets me that they are pushing this Kennedy/McCain Bill After they Pushed THE REAL ID on us.