Posted on 07/01/2007 9:47:25 PM PDT by pissant
A s the Senate immigration bill faltered, Sen. Dianne Feinstein complained that the status quo is de facto amnesty because the mass deportation of millions of illegal immigrants is logistically, politically and socially impractical.
Feinstein and her cohorts seem oblivious that it is this attitude that discredits any promises that a new, tougher law will somehow be enforced when an amnesty is granted. Sorry: been there, done that.
And they have yet to explain what is wrong with current immigration law — except that it's not being enforced. Indeed, if the self-described "grand bargainers" want to enact future immigration laws, they need to demonstrate a grand determination to enforce current ones. In so doing, they may find that we can secure our borders without mass deportations and without making the presence of 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants within our borders permanent and irreversible.
They can start by expediting completion of the 854 miles of the border fence that Congress authorized in October, and that the Bush administration has dawdled on ever since. According to Rep. Duncan Hunter, who coauthored the "Secure Fence Act," 10 miles of security fencing in San Diego reduced the county's crime rate dramatically.
Second, hundreds of armed incursions by Mexican military units in support of drug runners have been documented in recent years, and beefing up our military presence on the border is warranted.
Third, the government must at least demonstrate a determined, sustained effort to deport the illegal immigrants it encounters through law enforcement or social service agencies. No immigration law is going to be taken seriously if an illegal immigrant can receive government-funded benefits while the government cheerfully ignores that he is not legally entitled to be here.
Fourth, sanctions against employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants need to be as rigorously enforced as other labor laws. There is no excuse for those who violate our nation's sovereignty.
This modest effort to enforce existing law would not only stop the immediate demand on services that is overwhelming our schools, hospitals and our prisons, it would produce the voluntary departure of that portion of the illegal population drawn here by public handouts or the underground economy.
Citizenship should be reserved for those who obey our laws as millions of legal immigrants are doing right now to fulfill their dream of becoming loyal Americans. Genuine amnesty for illegal immigrants means forgiving their past violation of our laws — not sanctioning their continued violation. It means leaving, being forgiven and then re-entering legally.
Together, these steps would preserve our nation as a melting pot for many future generations of legal immigrants from around the world who sincerely seek to become Americans and "to secure the blessings of liberty" to themselves and their posterity.
State Sen. Tom McClintock represents the 19th District in Sacramento.
Tom will end up endorsing Hunter. Mark my words.
bttt
Here’s a starting point for expressing our discontent with the “masters of the universe” in the Senate and RNC... ALL Americans can sign this petition, not just Florida residents.
Feinstein and her pro-amnesty cohorts (including the White House) are desperately attempting to convince us that only two options exist: amnesty or mass deportation. ...and that the latter is "logistically, politically and socially impractical." So amnesty it is.
What they're not saying is that plenty of options exist to get the illegals to self-deport. .....specifically, cutting off the welfare freebies and going after the illegal-hiring employers in earnest. Options unthinkable to most Beltway politicos, of course. ....especially those in the pockets of big biz.
Excellent. Should be one for Linseed too.
Your words have been marked and I”ll to agree with you.
I long had a feeling that nothing was going to be accomplished with the legislation. The pols decided long ago that they would run immigration reform up the flagpole, garner all sorts of constituent comments and then let it fall by the wayside and claim, “Well, we tried, but we just didn’t have the votes.” Both sides used the same excuse and we are left with the ongoing problem because none want to be associated with either side of the issue. Meanwhile, they’ll all come home and glad-hand their constituents, ask for monies for their re-election so they can tackle the problem.
The problem is Congress. Time to clean house.
“Tom will end up endorsing Hunter. Mark my words.”
Most smart conservatives will.
He is also right about unless our current laws are enforced, more immigration laws are worthless. Just more feelgoodism.
“Excellent. Should be one for Linseed too.”
Lindsey doesn’t need a recall because he’s already up for reelection in 2008. He needs a serious primary challenge, or we are going to risk losing that seat to the Democrats (if they run a pro-border-security candidate).
Everybody... please go and sign the petition to recall Senator Mel Martinez! Make your voice heard!
Amen!
ANd stopping the flow across the border will reduce illegals by at least 75%. At a very reasonable cost. Heritage figured 2.6 billion for the McCain-Kennedy amnesty.
We could boil Linseed in himself.
specifically, cutting off the welfare freebies and going after the illegal-hiring employers in earnest.Until we have security and some semblance of border control, most Americans will not support any benefits, amnesty, or whatever you want to do to help the illegal immigrant. This is the basic problem with your philosophy and those who supported the legislation. Security first. Then we will listen to other changes.
You need to impress upon us that you care more about us then you do illegal immigrants. And some of us have relatives waiting years to get in and the people you support can walk across tonight. THEY MUST GET IN LINE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!
Here is my proposal. Feel free to run with it.
1. Do the job you swore to do. Enforce the current laws. Support and reinforce the officers working the border. Support a federal law directing local police and other law enforcement to take action to detain and initiate deportation of those here illegally. Jail employers of illegal immigrants.
2. No benefits for those in the country illegally. Exception, those with true emergency medical conditions will receive treatment while their deportation is initiated.
3. Initiate a constitutional amendment to stop the anchor baby phenomenon.
4. Build the fence.
5. Change the immigration quotas to reflect real needs justified by industry and/or states. Make the justifications public. So the average American knows how many we are allowing in and why. We will support something logical, fair, and needed AFTER our security is taken care of.
Milton Friedman: A country cannot simultaneously be a welfare state and have open borders.
stopping the flow across the border will reduce illegals by at least 75%.
"No, you see they'd just dig tunnels if we built a wall. ....I've seen it with my own eyes." - Chertoff
Oops. Heritage calculatedteh Bush-Kennedy bill to be 2.6 TRILLION
Has anyone currently posted, in bullet point form, all of the current laws on the books that could be enforced?
lol....ok, well it’s still worth it in my book. But the measures I mentioned above (among others) to get the illegals already here to self-deport has to be an essential part of the overall plan. A multi-pronged approach is necessary.
Ms Feinstein, just how many at a time would be considered practical by you? If we can't deport 12 million at a time, how many could we deport at a time?
Hunter deserves more recognition than he gets, if we really wish to save and maintain a strong America
Q: How much would extending the fence cost?
A: There's no official government estimate of how much it would cost to build a 700-mile-long border fence. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), the main backer of the fence plan, has been quoted as estimating the project would cost about $2.2 billion.
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