Lots of news today regarding a new immigration reform initiative.
"Immigration is a tough issue for a lot of Americans," Bush said. "The agreement reached today is one that will help enforce our borders, but equally importantly, it will treat people with respect. This is a bill where people who live here in our country will be treated without amnesty, but without animosity."
I am not sure how all this is going to pan out since the bill still needs to be composed in a final form and voted on. At least if the Reps and Newt are pissed, something good must be happening.
"The pact could shatter at any moment. Immigration is among the most complex and emotional issues that Congress confronts. Senate debate, scheduled to start Monday, will determine if the bipartisan coalition can fend off Republicans opposing legalization and Democrats wary of a massive new temporary worker program that would start at 400,000 low-skill workers a year and could rise as high as 600,000."
Some suggest this is proposal will weaken American security, yet when was the last time a terrorist has come through the Mexican border?
"The president is so desperate for a legacy and a domestic policy win that he is willing to sell out the American people and our national security," Tancredo said."
"Mr. Dobbs opened the program by calling the deal an apparent victory for “the pro-illegal-alien lobby.” The administration was “hellbent on creating a North American union without the consent of the American people,” he said, and the plan could “threaten national sovereignty and security as well.”
But the idea of a points systems for skilled labor seems to ignore the need in America for unskilled labor. Bringing only those with an education will make it tougher for American workers to get high paying jobs. Bringing unskilled laborers fills a demonstrated need.
"The proposal also would shift the criteria for permanent residency away from immigrants with family in the U.S. and toward those with skills that could help the economy. About 40 percent of "guest worker" visas would be earmarked for applicants with in-demand skills or job experience, advanced degrees and English language skills who would be expedited ahead of others seeking a work visa. "
It also seems unfair that those who want to be become permanent citizens in the future will have to return to their home countries for a year. I would think that we should want the money and the industry of these immigrants to contribute to the American economy, not their homeland.
"David Guerra wants to be legal, but he says the path to citizenship offered by the Senate on Thursday would be too risky and too expensive, and could end up driving him deeper into the shadows. Guerra's wife and children in El Salvador depend on the $300 he sends home each month from his job as a day laborer. Key provisions of the legislation would require him to return home to apply for residency, pay a $5,000 fine and spend thousands more in application fees."
Overall, there seems to be lots of contradictions and bad ideas, but something is better than nothing...right?
Immigration FAQs
Details of immigration proposal
