Free Republic

Republican congreesional members' constituents care more about immigration and border security than any othe issue, according to a new congressional insiders poll.Seventeeen of the 37 Republican House and Senate members who responded to the National Journal's survey identified immigration as the issue "most on the minds of your consituents these days." That easily topped the next closest issue, the economy, which gained 10 votes, followed by gasoline prices with four votes and terrorism with threee votes.One Republican called immigration the "highest-octane issue in America," while another said, "It is here that the mismatch between the federal government's inaction and the...

Our immigration system is out of control. We can't hold the line at the border. We can't prevent the hiring of unauthorized workers. Despite our tough rhetoric, an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants feed a vast underground economy that makes a mockery of the rule of law. No wonder the public is hungry for tougher enforcement — and no wonder politicians from House Republican leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) are responding with promises to crack down. ....The truth is that beneath the bluster we're ambivalent about enforcing immigration law because we know that if we...

----SNIP---- Q: How is the undocumented immigrant community affecting the U.S. economy? A: First and foremost, it's a source of value added. The total goods and services that they consume through their paycheck, plus all that they produce for their employers, is close to about $800 billion. They're also producing at relatively lower costs because the undocumented population typically gets about 20% less in wages than if they were legalized. That leads to lower prices for us and higher profits to employers. In addition, they're obviously a huge consumer base. We've seen that 90% of the wages that the undocumented...

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - While Mexico has enhanced security since the Sept. 11 attacks, future cooperation hinges on U.S. willingness to liberalize its immigration policies, former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda warned Congress on Tuesday. Castaneda, who is running as an independent in the 2006 presidential race, said security must be twinned with what he called the "whole enchilada" - legalization for the 6 million Mexicans living here illegally, visas for Mexicans desiring to come here in the future, and economic development for impoverished interior regions responsible for the exodus. "There can be no future cooperation beyond what already exists...

Chicago - The United States faces a severe shortage of skilled workers if current employment and job training trends continue, the National Association of Manufacturers said Monday. By 2020, the shortage could be more than 10 million workers, according to the Washington trade group, which has more than 14,000 companies as members. Manufacturers already are struggling with unfilled job openings because they can't find qualified help, said John Engler, president of the group and former governor of Michigan. "The emerging problem in manufacturing is not a shortage of jobs, but rather a shortage of qualified applicants," Engler said. "A full...

Mexico is waging an aggressive diplomatic battle to protect its interests and the interests of its citizens who are working and residing illegally in the United States. While it is appropriate for a foreign government to protect the rights of its citizens abroad, it is not appropriate to encourage them or counsel them to violate the laws of the foreign government where their nationals are living, nor is it appropriate diplomacy to interfere in domestic policy making and implementation of a foreign government. The appropriateness of the Mexican government's actions regarding the illegal immigration of Mexicans into the United States...

By far the most dramatic menace to this nation’s future and safety emanates from the cauldrons of Islamist extremism. But Americans are also in danger of losing their country on another front. A far larger incursion into the American homeland is being carried out via its southern border. Though an ongoing problem for many years, its instigators now apparently believe they are ready to take their attack to the next level. During a January 28 radio interview, Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez has threatened the State of Arizona with legal action through the international courts in order to overturn...