Help Wanted: Immigration reform is good policy--and good politics.

Wall Street Journal ^ | 10/16/2002 | Wall Street Journal Editorial Board

[Clinton Is Scum]

Now that House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt has introduced legislation that would allow millions of undocumented aliens in the U.S. to earn legal status, maybe the White House will stop ducking the issue and reply with its own initiative.

Last week, Mr. Gephardt told a crowd of enthusiastic Hispanics that to pass his bill, "we need a Democratic majority" in Congress. Actually, all we really need is for the Bush Administration to revive its pre-9/11 plans for addressing the Rio Grande influx. Aside from helping to secure Latino votes, which explains Mr. Gephardt's timing, a sensible policy on Mexican immigration would both enhance border security and satisfy pressing needs of the U.S. economy.

[Clinton Is Scum]

"Now that House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt has introduced legislation that would allow millions of undocumented aliens in the U.S. to earn legal status, maybe the White House will stop ducking the issue and reply with its own initiative."

Most "undocumented aliens" have plenty of documents. Why not call them what they are: illegal aliens, i.e., people who have entered our country in violation of federal immigration law.

"Last week, Mr. Gephardt told a crowd of enthusiastic Hispanics that to pass his bill, 'we need a Democratic majority' in Congress. Actually, all we really need is for the Bush Administration to revive its pre-9/11 plans for addressing the Rio Grande influx."

In other words, act as if 9/11 never happened, even though 9/11 was perpetrated by foreigners who exploited our immigration laws at every turn.

An estimated three million undocumented Mexicans already live and work in the U.S."

Actually there are more than that. There are an estimated 9 to 11 million illegal aliens in the United States; according to the INS, more than half of them are from Mexico. That puts the total number of illegal aliens from Mexico at 4.5 million to 5.5 million.

"by 2010 there will be more than 20 million job openings for people with minimal education..."

Assuming for the sake of argument that this is true, why not fill those slots with foreigners who have complied with U.S. immigration laws, rather than those whose first act upon entering our country was to break those laws? There are plenty of people in countries other than Mexico who are patiently waiting in line, and would be happy to come to America legally. Anyhow, would it be such a bad thing if there were a shortage of workers for these slots? Wouldn't that lead to a wage increase for low-skilled workers, which would help reverse the decline in inflation-adjusted wages these workers have experienced since the early 1970s?

"Cities and states with the largest immigrant populations have experienced faster economic growth and lower unemployment."

Have no idea whether this is true, but it does not mean that immigration causes faster economic growth and lower unemployment. Causality probably runs the other way: immigrants go to places with fast economic growth and low unemployment.

Somehow our system must...better accommodate those inevitably coming tomorrow.

We should we accomodate them? Why? Illegal-friendly policies such as easy access to drivers' licenses, bank accounts, and taxpayer ID numbers have been exploited by numerous terrorist infiltrators, including the 9/11 hijackers. If we are interested in improving homeland security, we should adopt be less accomodating toward illegal immigration.

"We should encourage them to take the legal route by implementing guest worker programs and increasing the quotas for temporary and permanent visas."

No, we should encourage them to take the legal route by making it much harder to take the illegal route. And by making the system much less accomodating to illegal aliens who manage to slip through.

"For illegals already in the country, the criteria for obtaining a permanent visa should include demonstration of stable employment and tax compliance. Those who don't already speak English should have to show they're trying to learn....Giving those already here an opportunity to come clean would also help bring them out of the shadows. "

Omitted from this list is the following criterion: a clean criminal record in the applicant's home country. Legislation that the WSJ and Gephardt and President Bush support--245(i)--allows illegal aliens to "adjust" their status without a review of criminal records from the applicant's home country. Among those with pending applications under 245(i) is an illegal alien overstayer from Lebanon named Rabih Haddad, who helped found a Muslim charity that was shut down by the Bush Administration after September 11 because of suspicions about terrorist links.

There's another reason Mr. Bush should revive his immigration talks with Mr. Fox, whom he's scheduled to visit later this month. The cold political reality, as Democrats like Mr. Gephardt know, is that the Hispanic population is America's fastest-growing ethnic group.

Yes, Hispanics are the fastest growing group, and they overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. The influx of Hispanics into California has made it impossible for Republicans to win there. The most notable exception was Pete Wilson, who won in 1994 based on his opposition to illegal immigration. Texas is headed in the same direction and will probably be a solidly Democrat state within 10 years.

[Clinton Is Scum]

Ping.

[Sabertooth]

For illegals already in the country, the criteria for obtaining a permanent visa should include demonstration of stable employment and tax compliance.

So, for an Illegal Alien to get away with his crime, he must also demonstrate he's committed the additional crimes of working here illegally and using a false Social Security number. That's it?

Shouldn't he have to show a second form of fraudulent ID?

Somehow our system must address the illegal status of the three million Mexicans who are already here and better accommodate those inevitably coming tomorrow. A blanket amnesty, which was tried in 1986, isn't the answer since it would only encourage more illegals and necessitate future amnesties.

The WSJ has reached new heights of disingenuousness. The lesson of 1986 is that any Amnesty will "only encourage more illegals and necessitate (???) future amnesties."

Ooo... that was a slip, wasn't it.

[Clinton Is Scum]

You are spot on.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

The WSJ is just crying out out for attention. They keep writing these editorials they know only about .1% of the country supports, and most of them are in the media and liberal think tanks. But I guess for them negative publicity is better than none at all.

[angkor]

Why don't we just give them "legal undocumented immigrant" status with all the rights and priveleges of American citizenship?

We did that already? Oh, nevermind.

[Sabertooth]

Among the many things the WSJ fails to mention is that their conditional Amnesty would have one of two consequences:

An Amnesty of Illegals would either bust our immigration caps, which would encourage more Illegals, or, if counted against our caps, would supplant legal immigrant candidates... which would encourage more Illegals.

All "necessitating" future Amnesties, I presume. This is the treadmill to an open border.

But the Journal puts a bow on it and says, "Proper immigration reform in short is smart politics."

BTW, when you say "spot on," you're giving away your identity, Medved.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Texas is headed in the same direction and will probably be a solidly Democrat state within 10 years.

And so is Florida. Since NY is already a liberal wasteland (Pataki just pushed through in-state college rates for illegals), once these four states become permanently democratic, we will lose control of Congress for another 40 years and possibly the presidency for as long.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

The WSJ is just crying out out for attention.

Oops two outs outs sorry.

[varon]

. That puts the total number of illegal aliens from Mexico at 4.5 million to 5.5 million.

It seems that half of those are in West Michigan ;-)

[FITZ]

Most "undocumented aliens" have plenty of documents.

Yes and some have plenty of identities. The last amnesty was a joke because first they required documentation the illegals lived and worked in the US for 5 years, then they decided since they lacked documentation it was unfair to require that. That's how a few hundred thousand became over 3 million, many of the amnestied had never lived or worked in the US. Blanket amnesties are a total joke.

[junta]

The WSJ blathered on and one when I could have summed up the whole deal in a few words, "Nothing but ethnic/tribal bartering." These idiots at the Journal are typical neocons who think splitting the difference with the Left over ideology is a good thing. I suggest they go read Gibbon's opus on the Roman Empire when it had to begin to negotiate ethnic/tribal bribes for loyalty in order for its emporer to remain in power.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Very well said.

Just like communism is the extreme left, there's hyper-capitalism which the WSJ is suffering from. There's no loyalty to anything but the almighty dollar.

A Chamber of Commerce guy said recently mass immigration is good because it brings in more consumers. Yeah, lots of hamburgs and french fries getting sold while the country becomes a socialist hell-hole.

[Lion's Cub]

Bush and Gephardt are trying to play good cop/bad cop and think that we would be relieved to see the Bush initiative go through--which is what they've tried for all along. Here's a novel concept for both of them: JUST OBEY THE LAW! The LAST thing we need is more third world immigrants.

This constant attack and attempt to destroy the USA makes me so angry that for the first time in my life, I am seriously considering not even voting.

[Sabertooth]

This constant attack and attempt to destroy the USA makes me so angry that for the first time in my life, I am seriously considering not even voting.

I'll definitely be voting GOP again this November. I want to see a simultaneously Republican House, Senate, and Presidency for the first time in my lifetime.

Of course, that will also mean a GOP without the usual stack of excuses. They'll have to put up or shut up.

[Bernard Marx]

we will lose control of Congress for another 40 years and possibly the presidency for as long.

That really won't make any difference if Democrats rack up House and especially Senate majorities in next month's elections. If that happens we'll lose our government forever. Democrat-appointed judges (who serve a lifetime) will continue their activist policies. They believe in Constitutional "evolution" as opposed to the Constitution itself. The Republic simply won't exist after the socialist judiciary is finished re-shaping America. It's end-game time.

[Bernard Marx]

there's hyper-capitalism which the WSJ is suffering from. There's no loyalty to anything but the almighty dollar.

It's also called 'Libertarianism,' and that's what Bartley's WSJ editorial page pushes. They've been in favor of open borders for years so as to supply low-wage labor to their corporate readers and advertisers. When some corporations no longer think it's 'cool' to display American flags in their boardrooms, American citizens had better perform a reality check.

[Marine Inspector]

bttt

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Paul Gigot who heads the WSJ editorial page is almost fanatical about wanting to maintain open borders. He doesn't even hesitate to play the race card against anyone who disagrees with him and his paper.

[Marine Inspector]

They are field hands, nannies, landscapers, custodians, busboys, dishwashers, chambermaids and construction workers.

The WSJ forgot to add that they are also RAPIST, MURDERS, BANK ROBERS, SERIAL KILLERS, DRUG SMUGGLERS, ECT…

But hey, those are just jobs Americans no longer want to do.

[sincity337]

As a Mexican myself we need to call or write Gephart; and tell him to stop telling these Mexicans the only way they can get Amnesty,is if they vote Democrat,so he is incourageing this illegals to go and vote.it shows he doesn't care how he get's this votes even if there illegal votes.just to stay as leader of the house!so wake up people and call Gephart tell him you know what he is telling these Mexican,vote for Democrat and you can stay in the united states

[Shermy]

Wall Street Journal is the flagship of the cheap labor wing of the cheap labor/guilt liberal confederacy targeting American workers. A short-sighted money grab that makes them feel good too.

[junta]

And since immigration policy is nothing but a bartering chip for our cynical leaders both left and right we should ask serious questions to as why or how the terrorists so easily entered our country. Since the intrigues of the Middle East occupy much of the WSJ's editorial staff we should ask them how "Visa Express" came into being for such a pesthole such as Saudi Arabia. My theory; "indespensible ally" Saudi Arabia - Visa Express - Atta - 3000 dead WTC.

[janetgreen]

field hands, nannies, landscapers, custodians, busboys, dishwashers, chambermaids and construction workers

I've been around a long time, and my memory tells me that all these jobs have been filled by Americans in the past. Illegals work for less than Americans can anymore. These articles make me mad as I watch my country turn into Mexico.

[Bernard Marx]

Forgot momentarily that Gigot has taken over for Bartley. No difference in their views at all.

[Pelham]

Why can't we deport the WSJ editors?