Finally, progress on immigration reform
At long last, comprehensive immigration reform is receiving serious attention from President Barack Obama and many members of Congress. It’s about time.
The broad solutions to improving this country’s record have been around for years: Create a clear and timely path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Offer more student visas to encourage immigrants with special talents to attend U.S. universities and ramp up the available visas for highly skilled foreign workers. Provide tough security on the border.
Unfortunately, former President George W. Bush and Obama in his first term fell short in efforts to work with Congress on meaningful efforts. Meanwhile, elected officials in Washington and at the state level too often have used cheap attacks against illegal immigrants to whip up political support.
Just this week Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach — nationally known for his efforts to make life difficult for immigrant communities — lashed out again. After a group of GOP senators announced a bipartisan approach on immigration reform, Kobach said, “Those leaders, like John McCain, are not leaders of the Republican Party.” Keep in mind that Kobach has been an elected official for barely two years, while McCain is a 26-year Senate veteran and the 2008 GOP presidential nominee. Clearly, Kobach is falling out of step with the realities of immigration reform.
Politics plays a role in the sudden surge of interest in the topic. Thoughtful Republicans don’t want the party stuck any longer with the image that it will do whatever it can to make life difficult for illegal immigrants.
Also, the success of border security and the Obama administration’s stepped-up deportation of illegal immigrants have shown that the nation has taken credible strides to stop the flow of people into the United States.
Finally, the weak economy here has reduced America’s allure for some; the number of illegal immigrants has actually fallen a bit in recent years.
While an opening exists to resolve this thorny and emotion-laden problem, there’s plenty of opportunity for mishaps in the months ahead.
Yes, there should be stiff penalties for businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. But again, let’s put more emphasis on helping people drop that “illegal” tag so they can be productive Americans.
We must have robust border patrols. However, it would be wrong to give in to do-nothing members of Congress who say the borders must be iron-clad secure before other reforms move ahead.
America’s immigration policies too often appear mean-spirited and designed to punish people for wanting to come here and build better lives for their families. We must adopt a new and better approach. Sensible immigration reform is essential to the success of this country.
Phil Cardarella
3 months, 3 weeks agoHere is my proposed test for granting citizenship to kids brought to the US and raised here: If your favorite “football” team plays with a ball that has pointed ends? Congratulations! You’re American!
Mark Hastert
3 months, 3 weeks agoMy god it’s pandemonium on the right! John McCain (after a six year absence)has become John McCain again Marco Rubio, Hispanic poster boy for the Teas, is supporting A-M-N-E-S-T-Y. Kris Kobach must be getting despondent realizing that he has gone from hot shot to has been in only a few short months. Teas are beginning to realize that they’re being shushed and locked back up in the attic. Radio talkers are apoplectic.
They oughta put this on pay-per-view.
Steve Alleman
Kansas City
3 months, 3 weeks agoI can’t wait to see all the Republicans who vote for reform to get primary challenges from the teabagging fringe. Good times.
George Hunsucker
Northland
3 months, 3 weeks agoRubio has led zero to this…..
We will have SIGNIFICANT BORDER SECURITY before any bill gets passed.
Phil Cardarella
3 months, 3 weeks agoAnd, what is “significant” border security?
For those of you unacquainted with the concept of physical measurement, our border with Mexico is VERY ong and VERY deserted. (You guys don’t care about Canadians sneaking in, so we can skip that.) You literally cannot build a 10 foot wall that will seal it against 12 foot ladders. Besides, think of the cost. We’d have to cut corners by hiring the Mexicans to build it from their side!
Short of shooting every kid crossing with a drone (which most of us find a bit much) the most effective way to reduce improper boarder crossing is to reduce the jobs luring them north — and that means imposing on those capitalists who enjoy cheap, non-union labor — not exactly a Democratic demographic. They come to the US for jobs. You go to Cancun for the climate, not Kansas.
Mark Hastert
3 months, 3 weeks agoThe Teas had better start looking for rationalizations that let them support A-M-N-E-S-T-Y. Like …yeah, yeah we thought of it first. or… it’s not anmesty it’s “path to citizenship”…. or maybe just get used to being discarded because their no longer useful.
George Hunsucker
Northland
3 months, 3 weeks agoTallk to Israel how fences do not work phillie…..
Matt Henry
3 months, 3 weeks agoJust so I’m clear on this…. Gun control is a GOOD idea because we can somehow control the flow of guns into the hands of bad people despite the millions of weapons that are already in the country and a porous border with a corruptocrat cartel-controlled neighbor with a border that everyone on the left says is unsecurable….
But securing that same border is impossible as a condition to this “path to citizenship” because that same country that CAN control all those guns CANNOT find a way to secure that border?
Why does it seem like the things we can do as a nation and the things we can’t do are all somehow mysteriously lined up with the ideological wants of the left?