Thread: TOM TANCREDO: Security plan must focus on borders

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EQUAL TIME

Security plan must focus on borders

By TOM TANCREDO
Published on: 08/06/06
It's no secret that the vast majority of the 12 million to 15 million illegal aliens in the United States came here to fill low-skill, low-wage jobs. Even though they get paid substandard wages to mow lawns, bus tables and clean toilets, they often come from much worse situations.

Mexico, for example, continues to suffer from corruption that stifles economic expansion and extinguishes the hopes of a better life for millions of its best and brightest nationals. They see the land of opportunity to the north, and it is little wonder why they head here in droves.

The simple desire for better jobs drives most illegals across our border. In one way, this is good news for Americans who want to get a serious handle on illegal immigration because a simple problem has a simple solution: cut off the jobs. To do this, we need to tackle both the supply and demand side of illegal immigration.

On the demand side, targeted work-site sweeps, followed by serious penalties for illegal employers, would go a long way toward bringing other unscrupulous employers to the right side of the law. The government would only have to throw a few illegal employers behind bars or sting a handful of major companies with heavy fines to send the message loud and clear: In this country, you'll hire only legal workers.

Tough border security will also raise the cost and the risk of entering the United States illegally. As the journey here becomes more difficult, as "coyotes" charge more for their smuggling services, fewer prospective illegals will try to get in, and those who do will demand more of illegal employers.

At some point, with the cost of illegal labor rising and the threat of punishment looming overhead, employers will have a strong incentive to hire only legal workers.

So much for massive illegal immigration. But what about the rest, the illegal immigrants who aren't coming for jobs?

In the post-Sept. 11 world, that is the more difficult problem.

As the twin towers were smashed to the ground by terrorists — a number of whom were in this country illegally — America lost the luxury of being "mostly" secure. Hard-working Mexicans are not the only ones streaming through our porous borders. They were followed by around 200 Iranians, Syrians, North Koreans, Iraqis and other illegal immigrants from so-called "countries of interest," according to the latest five years of Border Patrol data.

What we're arguing about is important to the security of Americans and the continued prosperity of our country. It's important enough for us to slow down the legislative process to make sure that we get it right. And, yes, it's important enough to use the August congressional recess to push the Senate to the House's side.

I continue to find it amusing when senators criticize the House for taking an unreasonable approach to immigration as they tiptoe closer to the House's position. Just last week, the Senate approved funding to begin construction of a border fence.

Arlen Specter, the author of the Senate's amnesty bill, recently broached the idea of an enforcement-first bill in the Senate, all but admitting the value of the House's principled position. The Senate's shift is even more drastic if you remember what the starting McCain-Kennedy bill looked like. It included no work-site enforcement, no fence and hardly any requirements on the millions of illegal immigrants who would qualify for amnesty under McCain-Kennedy.

The Senate bill still has many unpopular and nonsensical provisions such as universal amnesty, consulting with Mexico before building security fencing, and providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens.

By exposing the security threat that our open borders pose, and by reminding Americans that House Republicans delivered on border security, we might be able to break this political logjam. If the Senate comes our way and secures our borders, our hearings will have been worth every minute.

Go Senator Tancredo! We here want you for our president please.....

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