Posted on 12/13/2007 6:51:22 AM PST by shrinkermd
The nation’s struggle over immigration may seem distant in states like Iowa, hundreds of miles from any border, but the debate is part of daily life here, more than ever now as residents prepare to pick a president. Nearly all of more than two dozen people interviewed here last week said they considered immigration policy at or near the top of their lists of concerns as they look to the presidential caucuses next month.
And yet, nearly everyone interviewed said that none of the political candidates had arrived at a position on immigration that fully satisfied them. In real life, they said, the issues surrounding immigration, both legal and illegal, were far more complicated than bumper sticker slogans or jabs on a debate stage or even the carefully picked language of campaign policy papers.
The subject went largely unaddressed in Wednesday’s Republican debate in Des Moines after the moderator discouraged discussion of immigration, suggesting that Iowans already were familiar with the candidates’ positions.
Those who said they favored granting a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in this country were leaning mainly toward Democratic presidential candidates, but most said they wished their candidate could better explain how to carry out such a path practically and fairly.
And those who said they favored tough and immediate penalties for illegal immigrants said they mostly favored Republicans (though not Senator John McCain, who seemed to draw special ire here for what people called his disappointingly lax position), but said they had doubts that so many people could really be found and punished
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
That politician or politicians that quit trying to be clever and come up with genuine solutions will be rewarded regardless of party affiliation.
I think you’re right.
Typical NY Times myopia. Here in the Midwestern agricultural heartland illegal immigration is a *huge* issue, because we’ve had a huge influx of illegals coming in and taking all the semi-skilled ag industry jobs. A hundred thousand illegals might vanish without a trace in New York, but here in the Midwest, they can and have taken over entire packing plants, towns, and school systems.
i could not agree more. I hope the next president will investigate Chertoff and prosecute him and border control chief for obstructing law (ie they used every trick ever invented to delay the fence).
Also, army is the last resort if fence and border agents cannot make the border safe and prevent the invasion. Just shoot (as a last resort) invaders or put a minefield there.
Israel built a fence in few months. Empire stare building was built in less than a year. It cannot take 10 years to build one fence in the US.
Put me in charge. In 45 days I will be building 10 miles of fence a day.
I know where you can find cheap labor...
But just the other day CNN said a poll showed that no one cares about this issue;that it is all about health care so the Pubs are stuck with no issue.Right and you wish CNN.
The invasion is the single most important issue of this election and the elites can’t stand that we won’t sit down and we won’t shut up. They’re determined to ruin us and they will all lie to us until they get into office where they’ll stab us in the back.
The only ones worth voting for are any who have been on the right side for a while, not some born again OBL’er who just changed his tune yesterday to snooker the rubes.
It ain’t Jerkoff, it’s his boss.
Mr. Hunter's Plan...Here illegally...ship them out!
There is no way to do it "fairly". Doing so means slapping millions of immigrants, both here and waiting to come here legally, in the face.
Some of us know that. Some are still trying to politicize the issue to somehow make it seem okay.
Wow. Although I can quibble with some of the details, this is the first real, pragmatic, and workable approach to the immigration problem that I have seen from any candidate in either party.
No doubt, illegal immigration is tripping a deep seated, stone age emotional response. When we operated as small groups of hunters and gatherers, strangers entering our area were usually met with hostility. Even our dogs are territorial and they reinforce not only our stone age sense of territoriality but also our primate sense of territoriality.
The result is automatic xenophobia. If our policy makers and politicians have any sense they do the three things I indicated, kick the can down the road as to ultimate citizenship and how and see that these things get done. Eventually, when we are not facing weekly border incursions we can debate and reconcile our issues with the illegals currently here.
It will be tempting for politicians to demonize opponents on this issue and still not really do anything. What people want, IMHO, is action on securing the border more than anything else. This is something we can all agree on.
In the meantime, it is important to remember that deportation is a civil, not a criminal, matter and this takes months to years. Perhaps Congress in its wisdom could redo these laws to expedite deportation. It is also to be noted that we use the word “illegal” but, again, deportation is a civil matter.
It was written by Kris Kobach, a real and trusted authority on the subject. It can work.
Our legal immigration policies need to be changed. They represent a far more dangerous threat to the future of our Republic than illegal immigration, which can be solved easier than changing our current laws on legal immigration.
Typical NY Times myopia. Here in the Midwestern agricultural heartland illegal immigration is a *huge* issue, because we’ve had a huge influx of illegals coming in and taking all the semi-skilled ag industry jobs. A hundred thousand illegals might vanish without a trace in New York, but here in the Midwest, they can and have taken over entire packing plants, towns, and school systems.
It's common knowledge among Kansas farmers that illegals work in most (all?) of Cargill's and ADM's elevators. Around the nation you can easily spot many illegals working in food, lodging, and construction.
America's greedy plutocrats ignore the spirit of the Emancipation Proclamation by ruthlessly exploiting a new class of virtual slaves. At the expense of America's working class. Like the Roman Empire before it, America's neoslavery creates slothful citizens who want something for nothing.
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