Immigration Reform – A Pig in the Parlor (June 4, 2007)

Let us be completely clear, we have no problem with legal immigration. The current problem with legal immigration is too few visas, particularly provisions that all but require students to leave the United States after they are educated in our Universities instead of encouraging them to stay. But that is a topic for a later time.

The problem is illegal immigration and the current proposed legislation rewards lawbreakers ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú it is amnesty for breaking the law while millions of people who do not break the law are still waiting to come here legally. A pig in a parlor is still a pig. A pig in the Capitol is still a pig too. You may say, what about the fines? Does anyone really believe that they won?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t be waived? Or that they?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll be upheld in court? Or that they won?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t be changed by future legislative revisions? It is amnesty plain and simple whether acknowledged or not.

After the 1986 Immigration Act (The Immigration Reform and Control Act), the current wave began and without fixing the root causes, we will be dealing with the same issue again in 15 or 20 years. To prevent further illegal immigration, the root causes must be fixed: first, the porous border needs to be patched so as to prevent more waves of illegal immigration. Second and most importantly, the United States must help the countries of the Americas improve their laws, social systems, and economies to provide opportunities for their own citizens. Freedom, low taxes, sound money, property rights and the rule of law are necessary ingredients for economic opportunity. Without opportunity and freedom in their home countries people will seek it here.

Until the United States solves those two problems, any reform such as this is going to be a pyrrhic victory. This legislation will only damage the rule of law and consequently the United States itself.

What is right for America is this: legal immigration, with no rewards for breaking the law. The 2007 Immigration plan is nothing more than surrender to law-breakers. The President has refused embrace surrender in Iraq and should refuse surrender to the left’s demagoguery here.