Thread: STRIVE can stanch flow of illegal immigrants

STRIVE can stanch flow of illegal immigrants
Flake


The REPUBLIC
Apr. 1, 2007 12:00 AM

I think it's safe to say that there is universal agreement that our nation's immigration system is broken. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels like that is where agreement on the issue ends.

Enactment of meaningful immigration-reform legislation will require support from both Republicans and Democrats. While that may be an explanation for why Congress has yet to send a bill to the president, it ought not to be an excuse.

I recently introduced a comprehensive immigration-reform bill with Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Illinois. Our bill, the STRIVE Act, has four major components that any serious immigration proposal must have: border security, interior enforcement, a mechanism for foreign workers to enter the country legally, and no amnesty for illegal immigrants.

The first and longest section of the bill improves border security. Not all immigrants enter the country with good intentions. We have to be able to prevent terrorists, drug smugglers, and others who mean us harm from entering the country. To that end, the bill increases border personnel, accelerates technology at the border, requires biometric enhancements to identification documents, and includes many other measures designed to end the lawlessness at the border.

The bill strengthens interior enforcement by increasing the penalties and expanding the crimes associated with illegal immigration. In addition to stopping illegal immigrants at the border, law enforcement officials need the resources to pursue those who overstay their visas. The bill also creates a verification system that allows employers to check a new hire's legal status and stiffens penalties on employers that usurp the law. With the creation of a legal framework for foreign workers and the tools to check the status of employees, employers will have no excuse to flout immigration laws.

Aside from giving illegal aliens a shortcut to a green card, a major failure of the 1986 immigration-reform bill was its lack of a mechanism for new workers to enter the country legally, which made the bill outdated on the day it was signed into law. Repeating this mistake would put us back in the same position we're currently facing in a decade or two from now.

Under our bill, the program for new workers will respond to our economy's need for additional workers. We require sufficient steps to ensure that foreign workers are filling only jobs that cannot be filled by domestic workers.

Workers who demonstrate job qualifications, pass a background check, pay a fee and satisfy other measures are eligible for a three-year visa, which could be renewed once. Implementation of the new temporary-worker program would be conditioned on progress toward securing the border.

Finally, immigrants currently in the country illegally must not be given amnesty. Under our bill, those here illegally would be forced to pay fines, undergo background checks, meet English and civics requirements, pay back taxes and, most importantly, go to the back of the line (not be given a shortcut to a green card like in 1986) if they wish to adjust their status.

The bill includes a "touchback" provision that would require these illegal immigrants to leave the country and re-enter legally, registering with the US-VISIT program as they do.

Some may believe that these punishments are too harsh and that illegal immigrants will ignore them. However, once a legal framework is in place for immigrants and border security and interior enforcement have been enhanced, it will be very difficult for illegal immigrants to live outside the law. Put simply, it is prohibitively expensive to live anywhere in the United States if you don't have a job, and registering with the program is the only way to obtain the documents necessary to work.

While every area of the country is dealing with the negative consequences of illegal immigration, the costs borne by Arizona's citizens are particularly acute.

We simply can't afford to continue the status quo. For those concerned about amnesty, I've got news: We're living it right now. Any proposal that is not comprehensive in nature will simply ensure that this amnesty - this lack of consequences for illegal activity - will continue long into the future.

The status quo is something, I think we can all agree, that we've had enough of.



Jeff Flake, a Republican, represents Arizona's 6th Congressional District, which includes parts of Mesa and Chandler and all of Gilbert, Queen Creek, and Apache Junction.



http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... e0401.html

For those concerned about amnesty, I've got news: We're living it right now. Any proposal that is not comprehensive in nature will simply ensure that this amnesty - this lack of consequences for illegal activity - will continue long into the future.

True. But that is only because your President flat out refuses the laws already in place. How can you possibly expect US to believe that this government will enforce a new set of immigration laws????

One thing I know is that we do not need to be doing three-quarters of what we have done in the past. More guestworkers, amnesty, no enforcement... None of that has worked and we don't need to repeat those mistakes. It's become critical to get it right this time.

Dixie

Dixie -
Here's your evidence right here:

Aside from giving illegal aliens a shortcut to a green card, a major failure of the 1986 immigration-reform bill was its lack of a mechanism for new workers to enter the country legally, which made the bill outdated on the day it was signed into law. Repeating this mistake would put us back in the same position we're currently facing in a decade or two from now.

Lack of a mechanism for new workers to enter teh country legally..??
How about a serious attempt at enforcement and securing the border?

Originally Posted by PhredE

Dixie -
Here's your evidence right here:

Aside from giving illegal aliens a shortcut to a green card, a major failure of the 1986 immigration-reform bill was its lack of a mechanism for new workers to enter the country legally, which made the bill outdated on the day it was signed into law. Repeating this mistake would put us back in the same position we're currently facing in a decade or two from now.

Lack of a mechanism for new workers to enter teh country legally..??
How about a serious attempt at enforcement and securing the border?

he is making sure the flow of slaves continues.... the loophole

The bill includes a "touchback" provision that would require these illegal immigrants to leave the country and re-enter legally, registering with the US-VISIT program as they do.

And how do they now which people were already here illegally? Can't anyone (and everyone) just walk up to the border and say "I was in the U.S. illegally, now I'm 'touching-back', so you can let me back in legally now."?

What about bringing in family members, is that going to be allowed? Do they get welfare, WIC, MediCare, MediCaid, SSI, Section 8 housing, etc.? What about having children while they are here, will they get automatic citizenship like the masses of anchor babies already being cranked out now? And who pays for their pre-natal/delivery and medical care, us taxpayers, as usual? Do their children get free education and bilingual teachers too? Do they get to have driver's licenses?

I haven't heard anything about those issues, or have they even thought that far.

Flake is right, by letting all the current slave workers remain, and letting in an additional 1 million legal immigrants a year, businesses will have all the slave labor they want and thus at that point are willing to stop hiring illegals.

What he of course totally overlooks is that this plan will cost Americans over $1 trillion a year! Plus it will lead to the North American Union and the end of our freedoms.

This is a prime example of the rich getting richer and the poor (us) getting poorer. He needs to be thrown out of Congress.

Bowman wrote:

This is a prime example of the rich getting richer and the poor (us) getting poorer. He needs to be thrown out of Congress.

...along with several others!

Under our bill, the program for new workers will respond to our economy's need for additional workers. We require sufficient steps to ensure that foreign workers are filling only jobs that cannot be filled by domestic workers.

So that's who we are now? DOMESTIC WORKERS?!