Just days ahead of a planned Sunday rally that immigrants' rights advocates hope will bring tens of thousands of people to Washington D.C., Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have put out a "blueprint" to overhaul the nation's immigration system In a Washington Post column, the two legislators outlined a plan that should lower the decibel level of immigrants' advocates who have voiced their frustration with members of Congress and the President for failing so far to make good on campaign promises to enact immigration reform. President Obama immediately congratulated the senators for producing "a promising, bipartisan framework which can and should be the basis for moving forward." To the extent that publication of a newspaper op-ed article can signal progress, it offers a glimmer of hope that immigration reform might actually be in the offing, although its timing suggests that the immediate goal was to deflect likely verbal attacks during and after Sunday's rally.
The two senators have outlined a four-point plan that, while vague on details, attempts to resurrect immigration reform proposals that were put forth but rejected in 2007. Schumer and Graham's plan has "four pillars: requiring biometric Social Security cards to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs; fulfilling and strengthening our commitments on border security and interior enforcement; creating a process for admitting temporary workers; and implementing a tough but fair path to legalization for those already here."
As was the case in 2007, the blueprint attempts to offer something for all sides--a carrot and stick approach that might appease immigration reform advocates but is unlikely to win over critics, particularly in the current economic climate. Restrictionist groups such as NumbersUSA will simply not go along with any "path to legalization," no matter how "tough and fair" it might be. Ditto for plans to cater to the business community by setting up a system for "future flows" of low- and high-skilled workers. Biometric social security cards are likely to raise the ire of civil liberties advocates, as they have in the past. And, both immigrant rights and business groups have justifiably complained that a worker identification system is on the one hand unreliable, and, on the other could lead to racial discrimination in hiring.
But, even with its compromises and weaknesses, a plan for comprehensive immigration reform is long overdue. It is unconscionable that 11 million or more people live in the shadows--most of them welcomed during economic good times when we needed their labor, but now, with the economic downturn, considered expendable commodities.
The real problem, however, is that as long as the legislative stalemate over comprehensive immigration reform continues, a humane legalization program, such as the one that President Reagan signed in 1986, is impossible. As a result, the default executive policy embraced by the administration is a continuation of President Bush's stern enforcement strategy. With the growing assault from the right, a focus on immigration enforcement might appear to be a politically pragmatic way of appeasing critics, but it does a disservice to the millions of voters who had a right to expect more from this President and this Congress. It's encouraging that President Obama is urging Schumer and Graham "to translate their framework into a legislative proposal" and asking "Congress to act at the earliest possible opportunity." But if he is sincere, he needs to join in spirit with the demonstrators on the Washington Mall on Sunday and put on the pressure.
Jeffrey Kaye is a veteran journalist and author. His book, Moving Millions: How Coyote Capitalism Fuels Global Immigration (Wiley) will be available next month. www.jeffreykaye.net.
Let's get a VERY STIFF fine for entering this Country illegally and overstaying a VISA! Yes, let's start with this reform, and then pass a law that EVERY state use E-Verify in ALL businesses and social services.
Let's charge every illegal alien a $5,000 fine if we have to depot them. Well, OK, $2,500. Yes, how’s that for starters?
What gives these illegal aliens the right to demonstrate on American soil and demand amnesty? Yes, what? Illegal aliens have NO RIGHT to demand anything in this Country. Get them back to their own Country where they have EVERY RIGHT to demand anything they want.
Get our immigration laws ENFORCED and get these illegal aliens out of this Country. They don't belong here!
Americans have and will work ANY job to support a living for themselves and their families, but its really hard to do with greedy employers and political groups pushing Americans right out of regular blue collars jobs!
Both sides of the isle (Left/Right) have been aiding the illegals to come to the United States with little enforcement as possible, each for their own greedy and power hungry reasons!
Americans citizens and LEGAL immigrants have had ENOUGH!
I joined www.NumbersUsa.com a multi ethnic group of Americans who want REAL Reform...Called Enforcement and NOT Amnesty.
You can send Free Faxes to our so called leaders and let them know we have have ENOUGH!
The cruel reality is that Obama has only given lip-service to the issue of CIR, appearing at photo-ops to placate immigration activists and blaming the GOP for his complete and total inaction on the issue, while trying to spin his record of mass deportations (1,000 per day in office).
I am sad to say that I am predicting that Obama's first term will go down in history as a total failure to those of us in the immigration reform community.