Gillibrand Needs to Change Her Stance on Immigration

Gov. Paterson has picked Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S Senate. As described by the New York Times earlier today, Gillibrand is "known for bold political moves and centrist policy positions." Gillibrand--endorsed by the National Riffle Association and the recipient of a high grade from an anti-immigrant group called NumbersUSA--is not an encouraging pick for the immigrant community.

According to her website, Gillibrand opposes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and co-sponsored the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act in 2007. The SAVE Act aimed at reducing the inflow of undocumented immigrants by increasing border security and internal enforcement and complete the fence along the border.

The SAVE Act failed to pass DMI's two-part test for immigration policy that benefits the middle-class. Part one requires that immigration policy should not undermine the critical contribution that immigrants make to our economy as workers, entrepreneurs, taxpayers and consumers. Part two holds that immigration policy must strengthen the rights of immigrants in the workplace. Most Democrats and immigration advocates opposed the bill.

Gillibrand needs to change her position on immigration now that she is representing not only the 20th district of upstate New York, but the whole state, including New York City, where immigrants are the backbone of the economy. We shouldn't let the debate over TARP and other issues distract attention from this glaring deficiency in her legislative record.

Comments

[pdr]

If any of you have a real and workable solution to this problem, I would like to hear it, because no one in this thread has expressed it. Deportation? You can't be serious. It is ESTIMATED that there are 12M+ illegals present now, but we don't know where many of them even are: a major point of the legalization idea was that, once presented with a chance to legalize, illegals would emerge, and we would then have some sense of the size of the problem. That did not happen in 1986 for the same reasons I think it will not happen now on passage of a similar law: the hysteria exhibited here. All that does is make the illegals fearful and they will stay where they are, and of course the problem will not go away. Illegal immigration is a major problem, but it will not be solved by putting up fences, or talking tough. It will start with the passage of a workable law: the immigration law today is in many ways unenforceable without making the U.S. a military fortress. One idea, not even mentioned by anyone in this thread, is to try to help countries south of the border improve their economies and ways of life, which will in turn make the U.S. less attractive. Gillibrand's attitude, BTW, which is common to a lot of other legislators, is not a solution, it's a political pose and it's quite useless.

[lisa12345]

Hi pdr

I mention helping their country improve their way of life on the third page of this thread. I suggest that there are problems in Mexico and they need to be addressed so the people get the help they need and can stay where they really want to be--in their own country. NAFTA helped create this problem and needs to be reworked, among other problems.

I agree we cannot just round up and deport people. I have stated that we should, IMO, help the people here, while tightening the border so there is no more illegal immigration.

[Dee321]

I cannot stand the Tancredo - Republican endorsed Glossary of Terms. Obviously many commenters here are very familiar with their Glossary.
This Glossary:
Amnesty: these restrictionists call Anything short of Mass Deportation Amnesty.

Illeeeegal Alien: any of the 12M, including 4M who are Visa Overstays who are working to update their documents in Immigration courts.

Anchor Baby: Any citizen baby whose parents were immigrants, primarily Latinos.

Mexifornia/Miami is a 3rd World Country: The restrictionists view of any Latino neighborhood.

287(g) policies: Immigration policies used by the likes of Sheriff Arpaio to Racial Profile Latino neighborhoods, even to the point of having his masked goons terrorize a Confirmation Mass with children crying in fear.

I suggest Gillibrand study the issues and understand we truly need Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) in our country. Without resolution to these issues, we will continue to have the mess we have today.

[randyjet]

I will bet that NO immigration reform bill gets through Congress without VERY tough border control measures, and NO amnesty provisions in it. The reason is that most progressives are AGAINST amnesty for illegals. It is only a very small segment of the movement who is in favor of it. A few days ago, the pro-illegals held a demo to protest against Obama not acting quickly enogh to meet their demands. This was only 35 people from all over the Austin, and San Antonio areas. The other group which is FAR more powerful are the Democratic party business owners on the border who LOVE illegals since they make TONS of money off of them. They most certainly want more of them and are thus opposed to any measures to stop them.

[RachelMc]

I remember I got ticketed because my address was not changed in a timely manner for 200 bucks. but guess what happens to illegals even who don't even license, nothing. who are the cops going to ticket they don't know who they are. plus in Houston they cant even ask about their resident status. its funny how citizens are subject to laws where we always have to show proof of this and proof of that but not illegals. they get away with lost of stuff. oh and for the slow pokes: illegal immigration is not legal immigration because its unfair to legal immigrants too how illegals get catered to.

[nee]

I agree will Gillibrand. All ILLEGAL ALIENS should be deported. We spend BILLIONS to provide heatlh care and an education to people who don't belong here. We need to use this money on our own people. Stick with it Senator!

[klondiker]

For someone who seems to be concerned about over-spending, do you have any idea how much it would cost - not to mention what a logistical impossibility it would be - to deport 12 million people (more by some counts)??

[randyjet]

Make it impossible for them to get jobs, and they will leave the same way that they came. It was NOT too hard for them to GET HERE. So I think that the logistics will solve itself. The same way that it got solved to get them here. It wasn't so hard was it?

[nee]

That would be a one time cost not a daily drain on our systems.

[auplvo11]

Let's not focus on the desperate slave illegal aliens.Let's focus on the employers who entice,use and abuse these desperate people trying to survive. The corporate slave owners must be prosecuted and pay with mandatory jail time and high fines to pay for this crime against humanity and our communities.The corporations hire the coyotes and gang bosses who brutalize and herd these poor desperate slaves around ! We must stop the much abused H1B program period.

http://www.youtube.com/programmersguild

[nee]

I favor deportation and jail time and heavy fines for those who hire ILLEGALS.

[randyjet]

For all the progressives on this board who are against illegals, you have to remember that while the last immigration "reform" was not an amnesty for being here illegally, it WAS an amnesty for ALL crimes related to that status. The bill granted amnesty for ALL crimes that illegals may have committed such as ID theft, fraud, forgery, theft, robbery, perjury, falsification of documents, etc..possibly even murder, if they killed somebody crossing the border such as a BP officer. The dodge that some legislators tried to use by saying that they did NOT support an amnesty, while technically true as to their illegal status, was NOT true when actually applied to other crimes.

The "reason" for this is the idea that illegals will not come forward if they fear that they may be prosecuted for their many crimes that they have committed. This shows just how impossible any granting of permanent status to illegals is in reality. Such legislation grants SUPERIOR rights to illegals, while WE are subject to ALL those same laws, and WILL be prosecuted for violating them. Such a law will also violate OUR Constitutional RIGHTS by violating the equal protection clause by making US second class citizens. THAT is why we have to get out the word to more people about this danger.

[scooperss]

Great idea!!!!

With unemployment expected to hit double digits, we NEED all the out of work people we can get in this country. How else can be go completely bankrupt if we don't try to keep everyone in the world in a job but the AMERICAN people?! *sarcasm*

reid has said there WILL BE IMMIGRATION REFORM this year. He doesn't care that the AMERICAN people gave him a RESOUNDING NO the last time he tried it, he's determined to GET MORE VOTERS FOR HIMSELF.

REPRESENTATION for the American people? Forget it, we only matter when it's time to vote and pay taxes.
I'm disgusted with your thinking that just because YOU have a cushy job, everyone does. Get out from behind your desk and take a look around. Skyrocketing unemployment, mortgage failures and you want more people.

[1will]

They are not "Undocumented Immigrants" they are illegal aliens. You act like it's just some mere oversight that these illegals don't have paperwork. They are here illegally and need to be deported.
I recently read that Iceland has bankruptcies in 40% of it's population and 70% of it's businesses. I have a feeling that if tens of millions of blonde haired blue eyed illegals were flooding into our country you would rethink your opinion on "Undocumented Immigrants."

[Henryk A. Kowalczyk - Huffpost Blogger]

I read all comments.

They confirm my conclusion that the immigration debate is not about immigration, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/henryk-a-kowalczyk/the-immigration-debate-is_b_148289.html

It reflects disagreements among Americans in their views of fundamental concepts of our political system. It is not about immigrants, legal or illegal. It is about America defining itself at the beginning of the 21st century. What does it mean to be an American here and now? What do the fundamental concepts of individuals' freedom that led to the original rise of America mean to us today, and do we care?

[randyjet]

It most certainly IS about illegal vs legal immigrants. We bring in over ONE MILLION LEGAL immigrants per year. I doubt that there are many who have much problem with them, I don't. So how is this NOT a question of legal vs illegal, just because YOU think it is NOT?

Since I have actually lived on the border with Mexico for many years, I DO know the problems. One of the worst, is the number of guns being smuggled across the border. In Ciuda Juarez last year, they had over 4,000 murders because of the drug trade. THAT is but ONE reason we need a physical fence barrier to stop this kind of smuggling, along with stopping the drugs and illegals coming north. The situation has gotten so bad that the Mexican military has been called in. They have to set up chechpoints all over the border areas to try and stop the guns flowing in. Having a physical barrier will not completely stop all traffic, but it WILL slow it down so that the BP has a chance to get them.

[scooperss]

Nice try to re-frame the argument from one of the open borders crowd. I do no, have never and will never hire an illegal immigrant to mow my grass, babysit or remodel my basement. Most Americans do not do those things. Are those some of the jobs people like you say Americans won't do?

From your linked article
"Voices for the meticulous enforcement of the current immigration laws ask to repeat what has failed so far, but to do so with greater determination".
And why has it failed? People like you who think anyone should be able to come to this country, people who think they have the right to come here illegally , our own government for refusing to do it's job when it comes to enforcement and finally the money grubbers who don't care if Americans don't have jobs as long as they can make that extra dollar an hour.

[twogunmojo]

i have to agree with the posters down thread....we need 5 million jobs for honest americans and we have ten million illegal immigrants in the country....this is not a sustainable situation...unless the democrats are going to demand that every illegal join a union and begin paying for all their healthcare and the back taxes they owe on all the money that was earned illegally and sent south of the border they should drop this immigration thing now

[scooperss]

Not going to happen. reid has already said immigration reform WILL happen this year. Not if, not might, WILL HAPPEN regardless of what the people our so-called representatives are supposed to represent say.

[auplvo11]

Will work very hard thru Numbers USA etc. to turn Reid around and to stop corporate slavery in this country !

[auplvo11]

I'm a 68 year old retired life long yellow dog democrat, bleeding heart liberal,union/political activist and a VETERAN. I support Numbers USA ! I take exception to some one calling me anti immigrant when I am anti CORPROATE SLAVERY. Next time you come to Las Vegas were the slave owner hotels and/or home builders make billions off of the misery of these new corporate slaves. And displace legal immigrants and citizens from jobs,I will be more than happy to take you around town and show you the slave pools were illegal immigrants gather to make a few pennies a day and the County health office were the little girls go for health care for themselves and the babies they are forced to have to create anchor babies.We also have a high number of illegal alien female sex slaves mostly from the Asian pacific countries . I am anti slavery and I will not call you pro slavery. The U.S.A. is in deep trouble and you should stop the name calling and do as "O" is doing and talk to the people like me and numbers USA for our point of view and why we disagree with you.
You have a lot to learn on this issue and it all has to do with the way Illegal slave Immigrants are
used and abused. I would assume that MS. Gillibrand would be a good pick for the legal immigrant community if not why not.

[Badger84]

Thank you. Illegal immigration only serves corporate interests by driving down the cost of labor. Please, don't argue they are taking jobs Americans don't want. They take trucking and construction jobs. If corporate America didn't have a cheap pool of illegal labor to draw upon, they would have to raise wages and benefits to attract American workers.

[randyjet]

Being a progressive means fighting for the working man and woman. By supporting illegals being here, it simply means that such people are aligned with the most right wing organizations that are ANTI-workers, such as the Chamber of Commerce, NAM and the like. Does any rational person think that illegals will take a no scab pledge? So if we ignore them and give them rights to be here, the employers will simply import MORE scabs.

It is extremely dishonest to mix LEGAL immigrants with ILLEGAL ones. They are TOTALLY different. One respects the laws and people of this country, the others spit on both by their actions. We need MORE immigration enforcement since I have LIVED on the border for a number of years. The employers LOVE the current state of non-enforcement since they hire illegals who cross the border every day, and drive down the wages of AMERICANS on this side. That is why we need E-Verify to RAISE the wages of my neighbors, who by the way are ALL Hispanic.

[scooperss]

Good for her and lucky NY to have someone like her on their side.

"No Democrat in New York's large congressional delegation has shown more promise in truly bringing relief to the unemployed, especially in her approach to immigration issues.

[krechsd]

Even though she will have NRA money for the election, hopefully New York voters will make a better pick than Patterson did.

[harriscrl3]

I'm keeping my fingers cross there is a brave progressive democrat who will run against her in 2010. They have my support.

Carol

[randyjet]

Being pro-illegal is being elitist and anti-progressive. She IS progressive and being anti-gun control is also progressive. If you knew any history, you would know that the gun control laws were used against blacks and other minorities in the south. ALL gun owners HAD to get permission to own guns, and blacks had to go to the racist sheriffs to get a permit. This will be true now as then, only it will be used against those of us who are NOT wealthy and well connected.

[rhubardpi]

When I saw all those pro-immigrant folks marching with the Mexican flag I wrote to local paper editor offering free ride for any marcher.....back to Mexican border. I'm sure most of them are nice people, but I say to them....get out. Our laws may not apply to politicians, but maybe we can make the law apply to illegal aliens.