The right way to mend immigration

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The right way to mend immigration

By Charles E. Schumer and Lindsey O. Graham

Friday, March 19, 2010

Our immigration system is badly broken. Although our borders have become far more secure in recent years, too many people seeking illegal entry get through. We have no way to track whether the millions who enter the United States on valid visas each year leave when they are supposed to. And employers are burdened by a complicated system for verifying workers' immigration status.

...

Americans overwhelmingly oppose illegal immigration and support legal immigration ... Once it is clear that in 20 years our nation will not again confront the specter of another 11 million people coming here illegally, Americans will embrace more welcoming immigration policies.

Our plan has four pillars: requiring biometric Social Security cards to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs; fulfilling and strengthening our commitments on border security and interior enforcement; creating a process for admitting temporary workers; and implementing a tough but fair path to legalization for those already here.

Besides border security, ending illegal immigration will also require an effective employment verification system that holds employers accountable for hiring illegal workers. A tamper-proof ID system would dramatically decrease illegal immigration, experts have said, and would reduce the government revenue lost when employers and workers here illegally fail to pay taxes.

We would require all U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who want jobs to obtain a high-tech, fraud-proof Social Security card. Each card's unique biometric identifier would be stored only on the card; no government database would house everyone's information. The cards would not contain any private information, medical information, nor tracking devices. The card will be a high-tech version of the Social Security card that citizens already have.

Prospective employers would be responsible for swiping the cards through a machine to confirm a person's identity and immigration status. Employers who refused to swipe the card or who otherwise knowingly hired unauthorized workers would face stiff fines and, for repeat offenses, prison sentences.

We propose a zero-tolerance policy for gang members, smugglers, terrorists and those who commit other felonies after coming here illegally. We would bolster recent efforts to secure our borders by increasing the Border Patrol's staffing and funding for infrastructure and technology. More personnel would be deployed to the border immediately to fill gaps in apprehension capabilities.

Other steps include expanding domestic enforcement to better apprehend and deport those who commit crimes and completing an entry-exit system that tracks people who enter the United States on legal visas and reports those who overstay their visas to law enforcement databases.

Ending illegal immigration, however, cannot be the sole objective of reform. Developing a rational legal immigration system is essential to ensuring America's future economic prosperity.

Ensuring economic prosperity requires attracting the world's best and brightest. Our legislation would award green cards to immigrants who receive a PhD or master's degree in science, technology, engineering or math from a U.S. university. It makes no sense to educate the world's future inventors and entrepreneurs and then force them to leave when they are able to contribute to our economy.

Our blueprint also creates a rational system for admitting lower-skilled workers. Our current system prohibits lower-skilled immigrants from coming here to earn money and then returning home. Our framework would facilitate this desired circular migration by allowing employers to hire immigrants if they can show they were unsuccessful in recruiting an American to fill an open position; allowing more lower-skilled immigrants to come here when our economy is creating jobs and fewer in a recession; and permitting workers who have succeeded in the workplace, and contributed to their communities over many years, the chance to earn a green card.

For the 11 million immigrants already in this country illegally, we would provide a tough but fair path forward. They would be required to admit they broke the law and to pay their debt to society by performing community service and paying fines and back taxes. These people would be required to pass background checks and be proficient in English before going to the back of the line of prospective immigrants to earn the opportunity to work toward lawful permanent residence.

The American people deserve more than empty rhetoric and impractical calls for mass deportation. We urge the public and our colleagues to join our bipartisan efforts in enacting these reforms.

Charles E. Schumer is a Democratic senator from New York. Lindsey O. Graham is a Republican senator from South Carolina.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/17/AR2010031703115.html

[one...two...tree 2,762]

[peejay 327]

The right way to mend immigration

By Charles E. Schumer and Lindsey O. Graham

After 7 previous amnesties (all 7 voted in by Schumer) and RINO Graham's recent previous failed attempt at amnesty I'd say these 2 idiots are the last senators that should be put in charge of attempting to "mend" immigration. Cheap votes and cheap labor party hacks and shills for the US Chamber of Commerce / Wall Street while screwing the American working class. Shame on both of these morons for trying to ram another amnesty bill through against the wishes of the American people.

Clearly after 7 amnesties have encouraged millions of illegal aliens with rewards for breaking our immigration and workplace laws...amnesty is the problem...not the solution.

Edited March 19, 2010 by peejay

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

The right way to mend immigration

By Charles E. Schumer and Lindsey O. Graham

After 7 previous amnesties (all 7 voted in by Schumer) and RINO Grahams' recent previous failed attempt at amnesty I'd say these 2 idiots are the last senators that should be put in charge of attempting to "mend" immigration. Cheap votes and cheap labor party hacks and shills for the US Chamber of Commerce / Wall Street while screwing the American working class. Shame on both of these morons for trying to ram another amnesty bill through against the wishes of the American people.

Clearly after 7 amnesties have encouraged millions of illegal aliens with rewards for breaking our immigration and workplace laws...amnesty is the problem...not the solution.

[Danno 1,228]

I was trying to find something of value in that and this was as close as I came.

<<< Our legislation would award green cards to immigrants who receive a PhD or master's degree in science, technology, engineering or math from a U.S. university. It makes no sense to educate the world's future inventors and entrepreneurs and then force them to leave when they are able to contribute to our economy.

>>>>>>

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

This plan would work for me. If bipartisanship can produce such a measure, then I'd say that not all hope is lost.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Why reward the workers that come here to work by allowing them a possible green card. Why can't they just do what we all have had to do here and jump through hoops to do it legally?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Why reward the workers that come here to work by allowing them a possible green card. Why can't they just do what we all have had to do here and jump through hoops to do it legally?

Agreed. And how are the illegals here getting PhD's and attending our schools anyway?

[luckytxn 2,264]

Agreed. And how are the illegals here getting PhD's and attending our schools anyway?

They aren't. They are saying that the ones that come here for the advanced degrees on student visas's should get a chance for a green card. Personally I think they should have to go through the process we have to do here.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

They aren't. They are saying that the ones that come here for the advanced degrees on student visas's should get a chance for a green card. Personally I think they should have to go through the process we have to do here.

If they came on a valid student visa, then I wouldn't be opposed to them having a chance for a green card. I just don't think that green cards should be handed out like candy after all most of us have been through to get our spouses/loved ones here. I spent 30 months getting my wife here and that was following the law.

[luckytxn 2,264]

If they came on a valid student visa, then I wouldn't be opposed to them having a chance for a green card. I just don't think that green cards should be handed out like candy after all most of us have been through to get our spouses/loved ones here. I spent 30 months getting my wife here and that was following the law.

I would be opposed to it as they are no better than us that do it the legal way. They come here on student visa's then go back and apply like everyone of us that has had to go through the tedious method to do it legally.

[NickD 203]

I was trying to find something of value in that and this was as close as I came.

<<< Our legislation would award green cards to immigrants who receive a PhD or master's degree in science, technology, engineering or math from a U.S. university. It makes no sense to educate the world's future inventors and entrepreneurs and then force them to leave when they are able to contribute to our economy.

>>>>>>

Don't know about your state, our daughter had to show her green card before being admitted. With long delays in USCIS processing, mainly caused by their increase in rates, she just had to turn 18 so couldn't tail gate her mom for USC. Talking here about a couple of months. Another problem we had, they misplaced her conditional green card application during the AOS, but the USCIS does not make mistakes, only we do.

See one loop hole not covered by that senator, illegals working for cash, seems like the politicians more than anyone hire illegals to clean their homes and cut their grass.

[SMR 368]

There are a lot of good ideas in this bill. I'm skeptical that some of this would ever be implemented the way it is laid out here.

As to the 4 pillars:

1. Essentially what this says to me is making social security cards so they are a little harder to forge than your average piece of cardboard. That to me is not a bad thing. However, I don't think it is really necessary. The reality of illegal immigrant employment in America is that illegals aren't conspiring to fool employers. Employers are co-conspirators.

Thus, we simply need to use the system already in place: e-verify. We don't need a new system and expensive new cards.

I would support the following: an employer who hires illegal aliens can be fined and jailed as proposed in the bill if he is found having illegals working for him or her. There should be no requirement that the employer knew the employee was an illegal. It is the employers responsibility to verify that the employee isn't an illegal. That is, he should have know. I would allow that if an employer used e-verify and somehow e-verify improperly verified the legality of the worker, then the employer would be absolved of responsibility.

Moreover, regardless of where the biometric information is stored, the reality is that this card, if used, would soon be required for much more than employment authorization. Although the government may not be tracking this information, other organizations might begin to require this and create their own databases, downloaded from individual cards. Once people are required to have this information, this would be the next logical step.

2. Strengthen the border patrol. No problem here. This needs to be done. But it should be approached from a national security standpoint.

3. No problem here. Admitting workers that have skills or can fill jobs is good for the economy.

4. The explanation of this pillar is too vague and has some obvious holes. According to pillar 1, illegals would not be allowed to work. How are they going to pay fees and back taxes? In my opinion, this pillar is meaningless as outlined. If the rest of this plan is implemented as outlined, you are talking about forcing illegals to pay thousands of dollars in fines and back taxes and then live 5+ years without a job. What are they going to live on?

I would replace this with the following: Illegal aliens willing to leave the US immediately by their own means could have any immigration bans due to overstays, etc. forgiven by paying a fine and back taxes. If pillar one is actually enforced to prevent illegals from working, and other measures are put into effect to prevent illegals from receiving government aid, illegals would leave of their own free will. How and why would they stay? If they want to come back legally, they could start that process with a clean slate by paying fines. Then, they would have the same chance as anyone else applying legally.

[peejay 327]

For the 11 million immigrants already in this country illegally, we would provide a tough but fair path forward. They would be required to admit they broke the law and to pay their debt to society by performing community service and paying fines and back taxes. These people would be required to pass background checks and be proficient in English before going to the back of the line of prospective immigrants to earn the opportunity to work toward lawful permanent residence.

After 7 previous amnesties over 20+ years in which empty promises of future enforcement of laws were made and never kept, the only thing that ever did happen was that millions of illegal aliens have been rewarded for cheating, lying, committing fraud, etc., etc., by being given permanent residency and work authorization after illegally immigrating and then working illegally on top of that. Some deterrent, eh? They get to keep what they stole in the first place. I guess crime really does pay. If amnesty is such a deterrent then why does illegal immigration accelerate after every amnesty?

This is an absolute lie that these people are going to the "back of the line". This is nothing more than another mass blanket amnesty in which illegal aliens are rewarded for breaking laws that are not being enforced and promises that never get kept (except for the amnesty provisions).

I find it odd that there are still morons out there that still believe that things will be different this time around. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. How about some real "change"? How about enforcing the laws we already have on the books and fulfilling the promises that these same politicians made over the last 20+ years? That really would be "change".

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

There are a lot of good ideas in this bill. I'm skeptical that some of this would ever be implemented the way it is laid out here.

Of course it won't. This is just the starting point. Now it enters the sausage-making process of the House of Represenatives and the Senate.