People who oppose illegal immigration risk being tarred with the "Party of No" brush that's so aptly applied to the Republican Party. If we want to be most effective we need to stress that this isn't a Republican issue--especially considering that President Reagan spearheaded the 1986 amnesty, and then President Bush II and Congress's Republican leadership tried to pass another during their reign
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So we can't depend on either party at the national level. They're too afraid of being labeled racist by racist organizations.
And we need to advocate comprehensive immigration reform. After all, it's a neutral term. The word "amnesty" doesn't appear in it. Racialist organizations did this purposely, so that they could bury amnesty for illegals in the details of the plan.
Well, two can play that game. So here's my proposal:
A model comprehensive immigration reform plan
1. Legal immigration: We welcome people of all nations, races, and creeds who want to contribute to America and can prove they have what it takes: demonstrated skills, degrees from accredited universities, English fluency or a reasonable promise of gaining it, clean criminal record--things like that. If they're willing and able to invest in an American business, that's good too.
Preference: For those already here legally--as on student visas--who have excelled at their studies or H1B work, or in the military.
Illegal alien exception: Those who were brought here either as children, by their parents, or as children or adults, not of their own volition (as in sex slaves), can be given an opportunity to prove themselves.
Family reunification: When someone applies to immigrate they're required to list everyone they'll want to include under family reunification. Others--a new fiance, a new nephew, a sister in law--are free to apply separately--just not under "family reunification" for this applicant.
Family reunification has two categories: immediate family--spouse and offspring; and extended family--everyone else. The bar is a lot lower for immediate family. But in either case, the main consideration is the concept of net contribution of the entire group the applicant wants considered. The applicant must demonstrate the earning power needed to care for anyone who might go on the dole in any way--otherwise the whole group runs the risk of deportation if they become a net burden on the state.
Thus the primary basis for approving a prospective immigrant's application is contribution to America--in business, science, technology, the arts, academics, the military, major investment, or something of comparable merit. Family reunification is secondary and placed firmly in the context of the primary goal.
2. Illegal immigration: The fact that a citizen of another country wants American citizenship obligates America in no way--even if that person was brought here as an infant, was raised here, and doesn't speak the language or know the culture of their own country. All this was done to such a person by his or her parents. Talk to them.
Now if such a person has skills America needs, they're welcome to apply on their 18th birthday or before, and to stay in the country while their case is being reviewed. If they
knew of their illegal status and don't apply, they become like any other illegal alien.
Illegal aliens 18 years old or older who want to be here legally need to apply in their own country, and will be considered along with other aliens, without prejudice, unless they've been deported.
Entering the country illegally remains a misdemeanor; returning illegally, after the law has been explained to the alien, is a felony, as well as precluding legal entry in the future.
A fence shall be built across the entire southern border--at least two parallel fences 12 feet apart, patrolled by UAVs day and night, with each state's National Guard tasked with armed patrol as well, focused on winter months when low clouds might impair UAV effectiveness.
Anyone entering the country armed will be treated as an unlawful combatant.
3. Illegal residents: Adopt e-Verify universally. Task the IRS, Social Security, and other government agencies with cooperating to uncover discrepancies. In the longer run, adopt a universal biometric ID database for everyone physically present in the United States and its territories, as well as US citizens residing or traveling abroad. It could use something like Fujistu's palm scanner, which scans the unique pattern of veins inside your palm--hard to fake that!
The trick is to have whatever scanner chosen implemented by federal, state and local agencies as well as private employers of size, such that using it becomes routine whenever anyone interacts with the government--to get a driver's license, register kids for school, use a hospital, become an employee who gets a W2 form, get stopped by the police (squad cars could carry scanners, linked to the database by WiFi).
So if everyone is in the universal ID system it can't be accused of discriminating.
Then prohibit use of government funds to aid illegal aliens except for emergency medical treatment, followed by deportation.
Legal relatives of illegal aliens who are being deported always have the option of leaving with the illegal relative of course.
Implement the Arizona law--which itself implements federal law--across the other states, denying federal funds to states that fail to do so.
4. Multiculturalism: America is a multicultural society wrapped around the solid core of our origins in the British isles and English language. So make English our official language and the only language on ballots, because people who can't understand ballots in English are going to identify themselves by their ethnic heritage instead of their American citizenship, and get their political information in their ethnic language from sources who profit from the cultural isolation of the hyphenated American.
And make the English language requirement for citizenship based on demonstrating understanding of a recent ballot, complete with candidate statements and ballot initiatives.
2 comments:
from an article in politico:
On immigration, both Obama and Calderon have condemned the new Arizona law.
“The president will reiterate his commitment to fixing our broken immigration system” and express his personal “frustration” to Calderon, the official said.
Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigrants has “resonated in Mexico and is of great importance to the Mexican government,” the official said, adding that the White House expects “Calderon to discuss his views as he has been doing in public.”
In fact, the Mexican president has been quite vocal. “We are bringing our protest to the United States government during my state visit and in front of the U.S. Congress,” he told Reuters in an interview last week.
And they’re expected to address a longstanding dispute over allowing Mexican trucks on U.S. highways.
what exactly is he going to protest? he’s upset that america doesn’t want to support his poor, uneducated hoards? our audacity to think that actually he should be responsible for his own people? he intends to come to our country and stand before the us congress and protest that we should just allow mexicans to move north? and that’s not enough, he wants mexican truck drivers on our highways? we are suppose to ‘link-up’ our highway system?
i recall that obama has stated that we should not be concerned about mexican children learning english, instead we should be concerned about our children learning spanish, and i am wondering how obama is going to respond to this man’s protest.
I'm hoping that President Obama is not a man of his word. I've never found that desirable in a politician anyway. Let him say what he needs to say to appease Meximericans (Americans who consider themselves actually Mexican). Then stall on the rest, arguing that we need to attend to jobs and economics first.
The irony is that what Calderon should be talking about is taxpayer subsidies to billionaire agribusiness CEOs.
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