Posted on 01/07/2008 2:02:44 PM PST by nckerr
The Deportation Albatross?
It is easy for the Republican candidates to claim they are against amnesty, and, indeed, we all should be, given how the 1986 act only made the problem much worse.
But the devil is in the details. All can agree that should we close the borders (through fencing, employer sanctions, more patrolling, enforcement of the law, etc.), and should deport those with criminal records, and perhaps illegals who have been on public assistance instead of gainfully employed.
And perhaps we can even come up with a general sense that those who just arrived here a year or two ago, or even three or four years ago, should be sent back home. But what about those who have been here for several years, have been gainfully employed, never been on public assistance and are free of criminal records? What are we to do with these?
Rounding up several million (8-9 perhaps of the 11-15 here) won't be easy. I can just imagine some 60-year-olds in my home town, still at work in landscaping after 40 years, who have never been arrested, own homes, and haven't a clue what Oaxaca looks like after 40 years, suddenly put on a bus back there. So while it is easy to say, "I oppose amnesty in all its forms," note apparently how difficult it is for the candidates to make the next intellectually honest and logical corollary, "Thus I am for the mass deportation of all illegal aliens."
It is fine and good to talk of "attrition" by slowly and incrementally rounding up illegal aliens as they come in contact with government agencies and need various licenses, papers, statements, etc., but you are still talking about deporting millions, who are currently working and crime-free, rather promptly. The odd thing is that should illegal immigration cease at the border, the pool of illegals here, properly screened, would become static, and not be replenished, and, if the past is any guide, within a generation melt into the American pot.
So it seems that while "amnesty" is a political death sentence, so is mass deportation-the only element of the immigration debate that would play into the hands of the Democrats who otherwise lose big on the issue.
Far better it would be for the Republican candidates to talk of securing the border first, weeding out those who just arrived, have been convicted of crimes, or never worked, but then talking of an earned citizenship program, that has rather clear markers like learning English, paying a fine, and passing a citizenship test — while still working and residing in the U.S. If the border was secure, all of that need not morph, as in the past, into a rolling amnesty.
Bottom line: Republicans have to be careful that they don't turn a windfall issue (the Democrats are mostly open-borders and captive to the identity-politics wing of the party) into a mass deportation albatross.
* Invaded America by ignoring U.S. borders and immigration laws.
* Hampered homeland security and the ability of the federal government to detect and deal with potential terrorists.
* Murdered and or killed 25 Americans every day (on average).
* Plundered public services to which they are not entitled.
* Caused educators to “dumb down” class room studies in order to accommodate masses of non-English speakers.
* Forced U.S. hospitals and other medical facilities into bankruptcy, thereby making those facilities unavailable to U.S. citizens.
* Managed to send $30-50 billion a year back to Mexico each year, despite the fact that they cannot or will not pay for medical services received.
* Engaged in wholesale identity theft inflicting great harm to the credit and financial status of millions of innocent Americas.
* Depressed wages and the earning power of American citizens and their families.
* Invaded America for the express purpose of producing “anchor babies” to shield themselves from deportation.
* Refused to learn English.
* Taken over the streets of large U.S. cities in order to demand “rights” to which they are not entitled.
* Waved the Mexican flag and shouted, “Yes, we can!” and “We are America!” in Spanish as they protest the rule of law.
* Turned May 5 into a day known for rampant public drunkenness and violence, rather than celebration of culture and heritage.
* Voted unlawfully in American elections.
And for this they are owed respect?
With all due respect, Mr. President, the only thing America owes any invading criminal is a solid kick in the ass, a one-way trip back to Mexico, and a permanent ban to keep them from ever stepping foot in America again!
John W. Lillpop is a recovering liberal San Jose, California
This is our issue. The MSM needs to ask where dems stand on illegals. Put them on the record and we’ll win.
I Like Ike.
The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Immigrants to the U.S. Taxpayer
"Reform" must conform to the following principles:
I agree that English should be mastered before gaining citizenship, but I've go no problem if they wish to continue as a legal permanent resident NOT learning English, as long as there is no requirement that anybody besides themselves provides translation services.
How, from a law-enforcement and logistics standpoint, do you ID, arrest, detain, and deport 12 million illegals? For example, if we had 2000 officers (that in of itself seems impossible) capturing and deporting 1 illegal per day, per officer, that is, what? 6000 days of work? And we have to figure out how to transport 2000 people a day to their native country. How can this be done?
That won't fly with the legal system...don't forget those constitutional 'rights' in a criminal case.
I really like VDS.
However, we have erred on the side of open borders for 20 years.
We need to err on the side of national sovereignty and the rule of law for 20 years.
By the end of that time the technology will have collapsed the cost of water desalination as it is now collapsing the cost of photovoltaics.
The consequence will be that fresh water will be piped inland for 1000 miles at east coast USA prices. The US southwest will be turned green and the effective size of the USA will be increased by 1/3. Northern Mexico will be turned green and the habitable size of Mexico will be tripled.
The Mexicans will need every person they can find.
....oh sheeeesh!...what ever you do,,don’t read the whole story. It’s probably one of thousands like it. It’ll just pi** ya off
Compromise on this issue is political suicide for any Republican candidate. How to get them out? Make it THEIR problem. Take away employment and benefits like education and welfare, and the illegals will find a way out, just like they found a way in- with their children.
Wrong. They already broke our laws by entering this country.
You don’t put 2,000 enforcement people out there. You start by unbearable fines to employers that hire illegals and double them the next time that employer is caught.
No jobs and the illegals go back to Mexico.
Screw the fines! I'm all for making these employers spend time in a state or federal penitentiary.
Jeff Skilling's and Andrew Fastow's incarceration has done more for corporate accountability than Sarbanes-Oxley.
“Wrong. They already broke our laws by entering this country.”
The poster is most likely saying that they are free of criminal records aside from illegal entry.
The logistics to apprehend, detain, process, and deport 10’s of millions of people (1 in 10 people in the US if you assume 20-30m illegals) would require the formation of what would essentially become a police state. Do you think that new federal agency would go away once the illegals did, or find a new mission in life and funding?
Bullshit, that is the same damn thing that happened in 86, the chamber of commerce gets slave labor and everybody else gets the bill.
They came here one at a time. They can go back the same way. Starting right now.
No excuses.
Problem solved.
actually it would just make identity theft become far, far more common.
agreed, every day that the status-quo continues is a victory for the CoC interests.
Having reached the point where 5-10% of the country is here illegally, I do think they have won at minimum a partial victory, and further gains are just a matter of time and politics.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.