Guest contributor: Michael Stafford, author of An Upward Calling: Politics for the Common Good.
Part 1
In January, 2010, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (“USCCB”) launched a campaign in support of comprehensive immigration reform urging “Congress to take up as its next priority comprehensive immigration reform that would reunite families, regularize the status of an estimated 12 million people in this country illegally and restore due process protections for immigrants.” The effort, although ultimately unsuccessful, was joined by leaders of other faith communities.
The USCCB’s call to action on this issue ought to be renewed. Simply put, comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to legality (“earned legalization”) for some of our nation’s millions of illegal immigrants is long overdue. It is also my hope that the effort to reform our nation’s immigration laws will enjoy bipartisan support that transcends the bitter divisions so prevalent in politics today.
America’s immigration laws should serve our national interest while, at the same time, respecting the inherent human dignity of immigrants. These two principles complement one another. Our current, antiquated system does neither well. A pathway to legal status for some of our unauthorized immigrants must be a piece of any comprehensive immigration reform. At the same time, our federal government has a duty to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws. An “earned legalization” program would not subvert these critical goals; on the contrary, it would further them.
It is critical to distinguish “earned legalization” from an “amnesty.” Although specific proposals vary in some details, they typically require the payment of a fine, background checks, and the attainment some level of English language proficiency. Thus, “earned legalization” is not an amnesty; there is nothing automatic about it. Individuals participating in an earned legalization program will have to wait in line like any other immigrant. Meanwhile, they’ll be asked to continue contributing to our society by paying taxes, starting businesses and being productive members within their communities.
As Senator John McCain noted in remarks concerning efforts to reform our immigration system in 2007, comprehensive reform that includes an “earned legalization” program is not a reward to law-breakers, but rather: “recognizes the problems inherent in the current system and provides a logical and effective means to address these problems… We have a national interest in identifying [unauthorized immigrants], incentivizing them to come forward out of the shadows, go through security background checks, pay back taxes, pay penalties for breaking the law, learn to speak English, and regularize their status. Anyone who thinks this goal can be achieved without providing an eventual path to a permanent legal status is not serious about solving this problem.”2
To be continued…..
Yeah, yeah, yeah….we’ve heard all of this before. Reagan believed it too. And look what happened. How do you enforce “earned legalization” when they are already here illegally? In fact, why should they “earn legality” when their kids are treated as citizens, whether born here or not? When they have no apparent downside?
I keep hearing the words “comprehensive immigration reform” but no one puts any details into except we must legalize the illegal aliens living among us. The ones that broke civil law to enter the country and break criminal laws using stolen ID’s. They can do all of this by going home and entering the actual immigration process and waiting in line.
To me, a comprehensive immigration reform means that we actually enforce the laws already on the books, make it uncomfortable to be an illegal alien, and streamline our immigration laws. It should not take YEARS of limbo to become a citizen. If one wants to become an American, it should be no longer than 5 years.
How do we make illegal aliens pay back taxes when they can state that they entered…heck, whenever that want? How can we make them come forward without telling them that being here will NOT get them prosecuted for past crimes or deported? THAT is an amnesty.
They are not going to go through “security background checks, pay back taxes, pay penalties for breaking the law, learn to speak English,” because they have no need to. Furthermore, our authorities have stated that they don’t have the manpower to do this. These bills are nothing more than pandering to the existing Latin voters to get votes for the Democrats. Because even when Republicans, ie, McCain and Bush, put it forward, the Latin voters voted for the the Democrats. Its not about regularizing their status. Its about votes.
If we were serious, there would be penalties for hiring illegalaliens, there would be no public services for illegal aliens, there would be no housing for illegal aliens.
“At the same time, our federal government has a duty to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws.”
And every time anyone tries to get the government to do that, there is massive howling about racial profiling and about how expensive and unrealistic securing the border is. So what is your solution, Mr. Stafford?
I guess no one noticed the influx of immigrants coincided with the usual grand plan anti recession bullet to build houses to get our economy moving! Hmmmmmm, labor desperately needed to build homes, increase in immigrants………..
Mike,
Who can people blame for all their problems if we don’t have immigrants! I guess I must be a rare case on this blog. My family emmigrated from russia, no real wealth, no english proficiency, just a desire to escape a miserable life. Of course, now is where you will hear the interjection “but they did it legally”, well, not really. Had they been caught smuggling in my ill aunt, all would have been immediately deported. so you see, I guess my house really is made of glass.
My fate was lucky, had they tried a mere twenty years later, I probably would never have been born, as several hundred thousand russian jews were exterminated by the Nazi’s. You see, after 1924, the KKK was quite successful in pushing immigration quotas based on the “undesirables”.
@Elena, so they immigrated when? I am confused with the Nazis and the KKK.
@Elena And we are all paying the price, if what you say is true. Widen I-66, and then give developers free reign to build lots of houses. Widen Rt. 28, and the same thing happens over and over and over again. I didn’t ask for this.
Yep. And that’s exactly why nothing comprehensive will happen on this issue, ever. Democrats want to buy votes by putting them on the dole, and Republican business interests want the closest thing to slave labor they can get.
I know a lot of immigrants. 90% of them came here with nothing, worked three jobs and saved every penny of those earnings, and paid cash for their homes and cars five years later. Most are running successful businesses today. I don’t know too many young American kids that did the same thing. Most devote more energy to making excuses and resenting the accomplishments of others than to changing their own life circumstances. The immigrants I’ve had personal experience with come here hungry, ambitious and willing to bust their humps. Conversely the American kids are comparably lazy with a huge sense of entitlement.
I’d rather hire the kid with the green card.
Many American kids do have a sense of entitlement. I recently watched the miniseries from the 70’s called Centennial. I think the average person today would be dead if they faced what those early pioneers who settled Colorado from 1820-the Depression faced. Totally amazing.
@Cato.
“Conversely the American kids are comparably lazy with a huge sense of entitlement.”
Not the kids I know.
@Elena
Yeah, we need more immigrants to build houses like we need a new E. Coli super-outbreak (an odd statement, since illegals and E.Coli go together so well). How ’bout this, let’s send a couple of illegals to shop class before we hand them a nail gun, huh?
Houses use to be built by, wait for it…………… American citizens! If I’m having a house built, then I want people who know which end of a hammer to hold, and not just someone who’s eager to work. We need skilled (trained) labor. Not just anybody who slips over the border. Carpentry use to be a profession requiring a certain level of training, but I guess all the trainers were let go because they couldn’t speak Spanish.
Slow,
You are on VERY VERY thin ice my friend. First of all, your comparison to undocumented immgrants and e-coli, is, as usual, totally ignorant sounding. Furthermore, we do not reduce human beings on this blog to an adjective (“illegals”), that also sound ignorant.
when we built our house (2001), and I mean, we built our house, no builder, we hired the labor. There was no cheap labor, we hired based on estimate,experience, and referrals.
It turned out, the guy who did the brick on our house, may not have been here legally. I never asked, well, because it never occured to me to ask. But once the whole hoopla broke about about immigration, years later, I thought back, and remembered a few comments he made about his children and how he was paying for college for them.
He specifically commented about how his youngest was born here but his two older daughters were not and he wasn’t sure how he was going to afford college for them. His english was excellent, he work was impeccable, and he was the middle of the road FAIR price.
The stone layers were VERY skilled, and as I recall, spoke little English. The brick layers were also fabulous and our house looks beautiful, never ONE issue. Pretty rare when you are dealing with contractors!
Sorry I missed the e-coli comments. I thought it was Germany that had the e-coli oubreak.
@Elena
Slow frequently forgets to engage his brain before he opens his mouth.
Not saying I am an better but …
Love ya George! 🙂