Thread: Editorial: Holding the line on illegal immigration

Editorial: Holding the line on illegal immigration
Lack of funding for Secure Communities equipment is troubling, but there are other ways to help stem the flow.
By The Denver Post
Posted: 07/10/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 07/11/2011 04:15:51 PM MDT

The flow of illegal Mexican immigrants into the U.S. has slowed dramatically, a function of improving opportunities for Mexicans at home and increased vigilance in this country.

As we have long said, securing the border between Mexico and the U.S. is an important precursor to immigration reform.

The key going forward will be to hold the line on illegal immigration through a variety of strategies the Obama administration is pursuing, including the full nationwide implementation of Secure Communities, which targets illegal immigrants with serious criminal backgrounds.

To that end, we were troubled to see that 39 percent of Colorado's 64 counties do not have the right digital fingerprint equipment to allow the program to function expeditiously.

A Post story by reporter Nancy Lofholm said the sheriffs' offices, many of them small or rural counties dealing with budget cuts, don't have the financial wherewithal to buy the equipment.

They still can, and we hope would, participate. However, it's clear that having updated digital equipment to transmit fingerprints quickly so they ultimately may be checked against immigration databases is far more efficient than dealing with ink and paper fingerprints.

There had been federal grant money available, but apparently Colorado didn't get all that it asked for, which meant new equipment for all the counties — which costs about $50,000 for each county — didn't make the cut.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is pushing to get as much equipment out of the federal money as possible, and we appreciate their efforts. We hope future grant opportunities for equipment funding are more fruitful so Secure Communities can operate optimally.

Other administration strategies, including better border enforcement and continuing to pressure employers who hire illegal immigrants, will help reduce the number of undocumented workers.

However, as a New York Times story last week made clear, conditions in Mexico have contributed substantially to decreased illegal immigration. Fear of border crime due to the illegal drug trade was cited as a negative factor that cut into illegal immigration, but most other factors are positive.

Incomes are rising. Poverty is declining. There are more educational opportunities and family sizes are smaller.

These are important advances for Mexico, and they have the added benefit of stemming illegal immigration to the U.S. However, we are concerned that when the U.S. economy bounces back, the incentive for illegal immigration may be resurrected.

The Obama administration must take advantage of this confluence of circumstances to buckle down and ensure illegal immigration from Mexico remains at a trickle so comprehensive immigration reform can gain momentum with policymakers and the public.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_18436009

I suggest taking at least one immigration reform every morning.
Problem? Ex-Lax will help. Flush twice cause what a bunch of CRAP!

Originally Posted by airdale

I suggest taking at least one immigration reform every morning.
Problem? Ex-Lax will help. Flush twice cause what a bunch of CRAP!

I prefer waders and a large shovel.