Immigration Reform Goes Too Far

In a move that will surely be both hailed and condemned as a political masterstroke, yesterday President Bush took on another controversial and, so far unsolvable problem, immigration reform.

I agree with the Captain, at Captain’s Quarters, that President Bush should get credit for a bold move.

The President asked Congress to pass new immigration laws consistent with several key concepts. The President's key concepts include:

A new temporary worker program that will match willing foreign workers with willing American employers, when no willing Americans can be found to fill the jobs.

The program will offer legal status, as temporary workers, to the millions of undocumented men and women now employed in the United States, and to those in foreign countries who seek to participate in the program and have been offered employment here.

All who participate in the temporary worker program must have a job, or, if not living in the United States, a job offer.

The legal status granted by this program will last three years and will be renewable.

Participants who do not remain employed, who do not follow the rules of the program, or who break the law will not be eligible for continued participation and will be required to return to their home.

Employers who extend job offers must first make every reasonable effort to find an American worker for the job at hand.

Employers must not hire undocumented aliens or temporary workers whose legal status has expired.

Employers must report to the government the temporary workers they hire, and who leave their employ.

There must be strong workplace enforcement with tough penalties for anyone, for any employer violating these laws.

Undocumented workers now here will be required to pay a one-time fee to register for the temporary worker program.

All participants will be issued a temporary worker card that will allow them to travel back and forth between their home and the United States without fear of being denied re-entry into our country.

The program should include financial incentives to encourage the permanent return of the temporary workers to their home countries after their period of work in the United States has expired.

Those temporary workers who Decide make to pursue American citizenship will have to apply in the normal way.

The President’s proposal go too far. President Bush is absolutely right that the issue must be addressed. Most of the key concepts set forth by the president will make a great improvement. Allowing the “undocumented workers,” who are here illegally is wrong.

As the President acknowledged in yesterday’s announcement:

Granting amnesty encourages the violation of our laws, and perpetuates illegal immigration.

This is why the existing “undocumented workers” should not be allowed to participate. Participation of “undocumented workers” in the new temporary worker program will only be seen by those who want to work in the U.S. as an amnesty. The message we would send is get into the U.S. any way you can, eventually the U.S. will make us legal.

History has proven that amnesty is a mistake. As I posted here, The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made nearly 4 million illegals eligible for legal residency. That policy was an obvious failure because now there are between 8 and 12 "undocumented workers" In the U.S. If amnesty is now given to these millions, then we should only expect that fifteen years from now we will have to consider amnesty for 20 or 30 million more.

Don’t get me wrong. I truly appreciate that we are a nation of immigrants and I recognize that much of the nation’s success is owed to immigrants. My point is that immigration and our borders must be controlled. Welcome whomever and however many immigrants Congress decides. Just don’t reward those here illegally.

Congress should adopt temporary worker program that does most of what the President suggested. The new program must not provide for legal status for those here illegally. The new program should be used as an incentive. It should only apply to those who are not presently here illegally. It could even apply to current undocumented workers who return to their home country and then apply to participate.