Posted on 11/12/2012 6:42:12 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Having suffered not one but several humiliating defeats on Tuesday, Republicans are in danger of embracing “comprehensive” immigration reform — which is to say, amnesty — out of panic. The GOP does need to do better among Hispanics and other voters, but this is not the way to achieve that — and, more important, it is bad policy. A formal policy of refusing to enforce the law is not obviously the best substitute for an informal policy of refusing to enforce the law.
But first, credit should be given where it is due: The Obama administration, by keeping economic growth at anemic levels, has managed to control illegal immigration better than most of its predecessors. The Reagan-era Immigration Reform and Control Act conferred amnesty upon some 3 million illegals in exchange for promises of stepped-up enforcement at the border and in the back office, but the sanctions never quite materialized. Even though some improved security measures were implemented after 9/11, the Bush years saw a 40 percent increase in the population of illegals, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Legal immigration, which is largely driven by our government’s preference that the extended families of previous immigrants be able to join them here, does not closely track the fortunes of the economy. Illegal immigration, on the other hand, is very strongly correlated with the availability of work. It may turn out not to be a growing problem in Obama’s second term, so long as we can count on the Obama administration to provide relatively few employment opportunities for illegal immigrants, along with legal immigrants, the native born, and everybody else not attached to the AFSCME or Big Wind.
Our immigration system is in need of deep reform, but amnesty is not the first item on intelligent reformers’ to-do list, if indeed it belongs on the list at all.
All decent people have a measure of sympathy for those who, driven by desperation, come illegally to the United States seeking work to provide for themselves and their families. That they so frequently work at low wages in miserable conditions and that they are vulnerable to every kind of abuse is reason for deeper sympathy still. But the solution to their plight is not to abandon the law, any more than the solution to the plight of Les Misérables is to legalize the theft of bread. The rule of law exists to alleviate misery, not to mandate it.
We know from historical experience that immigration amnesties serve only to encourage yet more illegal immigration, and the suffering and disorder that go along with it. Illegal immigrants constitute a permanent underclass, the growth of which is in the long-term interest of neither the citizens of the United States nor of those immigrants who aspire to citizenship. Stopgap measures such as “temporary guest worker” programs simply convert that underclass from de facto to de jure.
There are many steps we can and should take toward improving our national immigration regime. It should be easier for those with job offers — particularly highly skilled, English-speaking professionals — to gain long-term residency in the United States and to embark on a path to citizenship if they so choose. And for those who are here illegally, especially those who were brought here as young children, our policy options are not restricted to amnesty or round-ups and mass deportations. As anybody who has ever missed a credit-card payment can attest, we have more than sufficient information technology to identify whether people who are cashing paychecks, renting homes, or transacting ordinary business are in fact legally authorized to do so. Until the borders are physically secured, our most effective and most humane option is steady, consistent, judicious workplace enforcement. We do not lack the national means to enforce the law, only the political will to do so. And even if our immigration system is broadly liberalized, the law still will need to be enforced. Non-enforcement simply is not a viable permanent state of affairs. Law enforcement would be as necessary after an amnesty as it is today.
Republicans who believe that amnesty would buy them an electoral advantage with Hispanics are deluding themselves. That Hispanics are a natural Republican constituency because of their Catholic and family-oriented traditions is wishful thinking. Hispanics are not uniformly in favor of amnesty for illegals — polls have shown that a segment of the Hispanic population ranging from a large minority to a small majority oppose the policy. Polls also show that a substantial majority of Hispanics support Obamacare, and that Hispanics voted accordingly on Tuesday. Those who see in Hispanics a potential bloc of socially conservative voters should consider that polls consistently find blacks to be slightly more anti-abortion than whites, but they are not exactly lining up behind Rick Santorum. There is very little reason to believe that Hispanic Catholics are any more likely to vote like social conservatives than non-Hispanic Catholics. For that matter, the majority of Hispanic evangelicals voted for Obama in 2008.
The amnesty signed into law by the charismatic and popular President Reagan did not bring Hispanic voters into the Republican party; Republican congressional leaders who believe that sending one to President Obama would redound to their benefit are engaged in a defective political calculus. Nor are Hispanics the only group of voters to consider. Blue-collar whites do not appear to have turned out for Republicans in the usual numbers last week. Support for amnesty will not bring them back. If the policy advanced the national interest, that consideration might not matter. It does when supposed political advantage is the argument for the policy.
The Republican party and the conservative movement simply are not constituted for ethnic pandering, and certainly will not out-pander the party of amnesty and affirmative action. Republicans’ challenge is to convince Hispanics, blacks, women, gays, etc., that the policies of the Obama administration are inimical to their interests as Americans, not as members of any collegium of grievance. That they have consistently failed to do so suggests that Republican leadership is at least as much in need of reform as our immigration code.
Nominate Marco Rubio. Problem solved. /s
I can’t believe that National Review actually published this editorial. They are so much more sensible than the wobbly “conservatives” at The Weakly Standard.
NR is usually more libertarian.... did reality slap them upside the head?
NR was strongly opposed to the 2007 GWB/McCain amnesty push.
Common sense from some part of the Republican establishment? Hard to believe after so much nonsense from so many. I wonder if they really mean it?
Nominate Marco Rubio. Problem solved. /s
You didn’t read the article. Author says GOP should not do Illegal Alien Amnesty. Rubio is pushing DREAM Act Illegal Alien Amnesty....and has “reached out” to the Dems on Amnesty
Rubio is no conservative. Amazes me that people do no research on what these people stand for
Good editorial except for the above statement. We don't need to increase legal immigration from the current 1.2 million a year, most of whom are poor, uneducated, and unskilled. In fact, we should reduce the number to about 300,000 and go to a merit-based system.
Also, we have 23 million Americans looking for fulltime employment. Do we really need to import more foreign workers? There are about 2 million people here now on temporary work visas. Business wants cheap labor, but importing them from abroad hurts American workers.
Our immigration policy is not connected to our job needs. During the decade ending in 2010, which saw the highest number of legal immigrants ever to enter this country, 13.9 million, we saw an actual decrease i the total number of jobs for the same period.
•Since President Obama took office, 67 percent of employment growth has gone to immigrants (legal and illegal).
• There were 1.94 million more immigrants (legal and illegal) working in the third quarter of 2012 than at the start of 2009, when the president took office. This compares to a 938,000 increase for natives over the same time period.
• Most of the immigrant growth in employment was the result of new immigration, rather than immigrants already in the country taking jobs. Some 1.6 million new immigrant workers arrived from abroad since the start of 2009 — we estimate 70 to 90 percent entered legally.
• Immigrants made employment gains across the labor market. In occupations where immigrant gains were the largest, there were 2.2 million unemployed natives.
This is certainly helpful. More please.
The Mexicans Come from a Socialist Country they are Democrat Trained expecting Handouts Just like Mexico. They are Not really Practicing Catholics less than 1% go to weekly Mass in mexico City Less than 5 % in the Rest of the Country per 2010 retired Archbishop from Acapulco.
They Go to Guadalupe festivities in December Quincenas and Baptisms but they are Not Catechized so really don’t Practice. They are all Public School educated, Priest in Mexico are not wearing Collars.
It Gets worse Mexicans and central Americans hate Cubans and Pr’s Rubio has No Management experience like Obama and is Too Young.
The Scary part is the Catholic Church through its support system of Mexican Anchor babies is creating a Boom of out of wedlock Moms giving birth without a husband. They are guaranteed a life of Poverty and all the Welfare cost is on US CITIZENS. Don’t believe me my Parish has 25 such women and the Outreach Program does not Catechize these women.They also do not Participate at Sunday mass.
Hispanics are a demographic skewed to Democrats.
Marco Rubio is a Nice Guy but little Track record and what skeletons?
Hence my /s.
Locking the door after the horse got out.
Hispanics stuck Obama right up our backside so Republicans want to reward them for it.
DUH!!!
This editorial is the truth.
Bush got Hispanics to vote for him because he had been Governor of TX, spoke Spanish and had interacted with them, but also because he was a big spender. Not because he wanted amnesty. The more we bring in, the more they will vote for Democrats. From what I saw Tuesday, it is the same with most recent immigrants.
Not natural born, thus ineligible to be President or Vice President. Also favors amnesty--surprise!
Amnesy is the fastest way to a third party.
Driven by “desperation” to illegally invade out borders?
Oh please——its not “desperation”—it’s pure greed.
HYPHENATE PRICE TAG-—the price we are paying so that vote-crazed Obama and other desperate pols can get re/elected.
NOTE Oftentimes the conniving pols bury these programs within other programs making them difficult to find. Americans have been hammered with govt propaganda that it was the Iraq war and the war on terror that is bankrupting the US. Here’s the real reasons:
1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year by state governments.
Verify at: http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecenters7fd8
2. $22 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.HTML
3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens. Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.HTML
4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary & secondary education for children here illegally and [usually] cannot speak a word of English. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANscriptS/0604/01/ldt....0.HTML
5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies (or as Terry Anderson says “JACKPOT” babies!)Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANscriptS/0604/01/ldt.01.HTML
6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/%20TRANscriptS/0604/01/ldt.01.HTML
7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.CNN..com/TRANscriptS/0604/01/ldt...01.HTML
8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare & socialservices by the American taxpayers. Verify at: http://premium.cnn..com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01..HTML
9. $200 Billion dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRI
13. In 2006, illegals sent $45 BILLION in remittances to their countries of origin.
Verify at: http://www/..rense.com/general75/niht.htm
14. The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One million sex crimes committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States. Verify at: http: // www.drdsk.com/articleshtml
The total cost is a whopping $ 338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR WHICH WOULD BE ENOUGH TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY. Are we THAT Stupid?WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!!!!!!
PLUS!
1. The Earned Income Credit...money people get back on their taxes that they NEVER paid into in the first place! Illegal aliens, most of which pay zero in net taxes, enjoyed $4.2 billion from the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) last year. That’s more than the annual revenue from the selected oil tax deductions and corporate jet deductions combined!Verify: http://www.redstate.com/dhorowitz3/2011/09/02/illegal-aliens-receive-4-2-billion-in-additional-child-tax-credits/
2. The cost of prosecuting and making SURE the “rights” of illegals are protected by US laws madefor US citizens. In 2009, the U.S. Justice Dept filed nearly 92,000 pro-immigrant-related criminal cases in the federal courts. The record-breaker accounted for more than half of all new federal prosecutions, according to data maintained at Syracuse University. Verify at:
http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/search?q=federal+court+cases
The wailing and whining invaders' propaganda-----"just here for a better life, to do jobs Americanos won't do"---really "gets" bleeding heart sap-happy liberals.....and vote-crazed US politicians.
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RECONQUISTA HISTORY Mexican-born actress DOLORES DEL RIO---was accused of being part of a conspiracy hatched circa 1925 by Mexican nationale Enrique Estrada to takeover Baja California. Enrique Estrada Reynoso (1890–1942) was a Mexican General, politician, and Secretary of Mexican National Defense.
Estrada was arrested in 1926 by the FBI under the leadership of by Special Agent Edwin Atherton. Estrada was heading a large convoy of armored vehicles and armed men east of San Diego, California. He was jailed in the United States for 21 months.
Atherton had been alerted by an informant and a Mexican official residing in Baja, Clifornia (Mexican for "lower California"). Atherton was noted for having worked on the 1924 capture of a neo-revolutionary army of Mexican nationals marching to takeover lower Californa which was under the leadership of General Enrique Estrada. The capture took place at Engineer Springs on the California border.
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WIKI Sometimes informally referred to as Baja California Norte to distinguish it from both the Baja California peninsula, of which it forms the northern half, and Baja California Sur, the adjacent state that covers the southern half of the peninsula. While it is a well-established term for the northern half of the Baja California peninsula, however, its usage would not be correct, because Baja California Norte has never existed as a political designation for a state, territory, district or region.
In 1804, the Spanish colony of California was divided into Alta ("Upper") and Baja ("Lower") California at the line separating the Franciscan missions in the north from the Dominican missions in the south. In 1848, Alta California is annexed by the United States.
The population is composed of Mestizos, mostly immigrants from other parts of Mexico, and, as with most northern Mexican states, a large population of Mexicans of European ancestry, and also a large minority group of East Asian, Middle Eastern and indigenous descent. Additionally, there is a large immigrant population from the United States due to its proximity to San Diego and the cheaper cost of living compared to San Diego.
There is also a significant population from Central America. Many immigrants moved to Baja California for a better quality of life and the number of higher paying jobs in comparison to the rest of Mexico and Latin America.
ANNEX MEXICO!!!/sarc
This editorial is well to the right of Sean Hannity at this point.
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