Although House Speaker John Boehner has declared immigration reform a mute issue for now, it will likely come back down the road. Here is a revised (by the author above) version of a document released by House Republicans and posted on the National Review Online.
PREAMBLE
Our nation’s immigration system is broken and our laws are not being enforced. Washington’s unwillingness failure to fix enforce them is hurting our economy and jeopardizing our national security. The overriding purpose of our immigration system is to promote and further America’s national interests and that is not the case today. The serious problems in our immigration system must be solved, and we are committed to working in a bipartisan manner, which means caving to what the Democrats want, to solve them. But they cannot be solved with a single, massive piece of legislation that few have read and even fewer understand; and therefore, we will not go to a conference with the Senate’s immigration bill, or we might go if not going makes us look bad. The problems in our immigration system must be solved through a step-by-step, common-sense approach that starts with securing our country’s America’s borders, enforcing America’s our laws, and implementing robust* law enforcement measures. These are the principals guiding us in that effort, whatever that “that” means, because today “that” means nothing – and that’s a fact.
Border Security and Interior Enforcement ShouldMust Come First, But, Hey, That’s a Pipe Dream
It is the fundamental duty of any the Federal government to secure its America’s borders, and the Federal Government the United States is failing has thoroughly failedin this mission. We must secure our borders now and verify that they are secure. In addition, we must ensure now that when immigration reform is enacted, there will be a zero tolerance policy for those who cross the border illegally or overstay their visas in the future, but we know that’s all pie-in-the-sky and won’t happen – but it sounds forceful, don’t it? Faced with a consistent pattern of administrations of both parties only selectively enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, we must enact reform that ensures that a President cannot unilaterally stop immigration enforcement, unless it’s President Obama, of course, because we’re okay with him doing pretty much what he wants – we don’t want Independents to think we’re obstructionists.
Implement Entry-Exit Visa Tracking System With ObamaCare-like Technology
A fully functioning Entry-Exit system has been mandated by eight separate statutes over the last 17 years. At least three of these laws call for this system to be biometric, using technology to verify identity and prevent fraud. We must implement this system so we can identify and track down visitors who abuse our laws, but, hey, after 17 failures to launch, only a moron would think we’re serious this time.
Employment Verification and Workplace Enforcement
In the 21st century it is apparently unacceptable that the majority of employees have their work eligibility verified through a paper based system wrought with fraud. That’s why the Chamber of Commerce wants amnesty – cheap labor. It is past time for this country the Federal Government to fully implement an workable electronic employment verification system, and we’re serious about this…really.
Reforms to the IllLegal Immigration System
For far too long, the United States has emphasized tolerated extended family members and illegal entry pure luck over employment-based immigration. This is inconsistent with nearly every other developed country, and wasn’t even tolerated without resistance by the French when the Germans invaded in 1940. Every year thousands of foreign nationals pursue degrees at America’s colleges and universities, particularly in high–skilled fields. Many of them want to use their expertise in U.S. industries that will spur economic growth and create jobs for Americans. When visas aren’t available, we end up exporting this labor and ingenuity to other countries. Visa and green card allocations need to reflect the needs of employers and the desire for these exceptional individuals to help grow our economy.
The goal of any temporary worker program should be to address the economic needs of the country and to strengthen our national security by allowing for realistic, enforceable, usable, robust, legal paths for entry into the United States. Of particular concern are the needs of the agricultural industry, among others like landscaping and highway construction. It is imperative that these temporary workers are able to meet the economic needs of the country and do not displace or disadvantage American union workers.
Youth
One of the great founding principles of our country, that we just now spun out of whole cloth, was that children would not be punished for the mistakes of their parents. It is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own, those who know no other place as home. For those who meet certain eligibility standards, and serve honorably in our military or attain a college degree, we will do just that.
Individuals Living Outside the Rule of Law
Our national and economic security depend on requiring people who are living and working here illegally to come forward and get right with the law, even though former NJ Governor Jon Corzine and Attorney General Eric Holder are far left of getting “right with the law”. There will be no special paths to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws – so what if that’s would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law. Rather, these persons could should live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability with a wink and a nod, pass rigorous perfunctory background checks, pay insignificant fines that we’ll waive in most cases (unless Carlos Slim comes across the border behind a coyote), and back taxes just like MSNBC’s Al Sharpton and Warren Buffett have paid theirs, or not, develop proficiency in English and American progressive civics, vote Democrat, and be able to support themselves and their families (without reasonable reliance on access to public benefits). Criminal aliens, gang members, and sex offenders and those who do not meet the above requirements will not be eligible for this program, but will likely slip through the cracks anyway. Finally, none of this can happen before specific enforcement triggers (not literally “triggers” as in firearms Holder shipped to Mexico through Fast & Furious – it’s just a word like “robust” meant to sound determined) have been implemented to fulfill our promise to the American people that from here on, our immigration laws will indeed be enforced, or maybe not.
* “Robust” is a word that means absolutely nothing in polito-speak. It’s only meant to make the user sound tough and determined.
