Ignoring Immigration Laws And Calling It Reform
SEARCH BLOG: IMMIGRATION.
The people of the United States have had a principle that the rule of law rather than the whims of leaders was necessary and required to have this republic function properly. As with any principle, this one can be and has been subverted many times for many "good reasons." This subversion has occurred millions of times in ways small and subtle to presidential "recess appointments." Even the courts of the land will jump and twist through legal "double think" to fit judgments to political expediency.
Therefore, is it any wonder that immigration laws are subject to the same whims? On the one hand, you have millions of people who have followed the letter and spirit of the law in their efforts to come to America and become citizens of these United States. On the other hand, you have millions of people who have simply walked or driven in, taken up residence, used up local and national resources, demanded cultural accommodations, and created a wide crack in our "rule of law."
Some local law enforcement agencies have attempted to enforce the immigration laws, but have been penalized by the federal government which claims jurisdiction. The same actions have been taken against states that attempt to enforce these laws within their borders. The problem, of course, has been that the federal government has been more interested in asserting its power than enforcing the laws. Consequently, we now have somewhere in excess of 10 million illegal aliens residing in the U.S.
This same federal government which paid people up to 99 weeks for not working has argued that these illegal aliens benefit the U.S. because they take jobs that nobody else will take. You may find that to be a non-issue, but others will rightly ask what are the jobs that illegal aliens take that others refuse? Construction? Agriculture? Service jobs? And isn't it illegal to hire illegals? Or is this another version of "don't ask, don't tell?"
Now the federal government says it is going to get serious about illegal immigration. It will come up with a "path to citizenship" that makes the 10 million illegal aliens not so illegal. A so-called "gang of eight" congressmen are working on just such a proposal.
A bipartisan group of eight senators plans to announce they have agreed on a set of principles for comprehensive immigration reform.
The deal, which will be announced at a news conference Monday afternoon, covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country.
The Miami Herald reports:The eight senators expected to endorse the new principles are Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado; and Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona. [source]
In other words, the law was not obeyed, so "let's make a deal."The Gang of Eight’s plan rests on four "pillars:"1. Create a tough but fair path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants currently living in the United States that is contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country when required.2. Reform our legal immigration system to better recognize the importance of characteristics that will help build the American economy and strengthen American families.3. Create an effective employment verification system that will prevent identity theft and end the hiring of future unauthorized workers.4. Establish an improved process for admitting future workers to serve our nation’s workforce needs, while simultaneously protecting all workers.The plan is just a framework. So many of the hard details concerning how long people would wait for citizenship, how the border is declared secure and roughly how much it would all cost will have to be worked out in the coming months.The Senate legislation, whenever it’s drafted, will also spell out how the visa process would be streamlined, what new types of work permits would be available and how the government plans to stop businesses from hiring illegal immigrants.
I like that concept and think that should Sen. Diane Feinstein's firearms legislation pass that millions of American should simple ignore the law and force the federal government to "make a deal." What? You say that's not the same thing? Of course not. Senator Feinstein and her cohorts are attempting to ignore a Constitutional right that Americans have. The "gang of eight" are simply trying to grant Constitutional protection to those who have broken the laws of the nation. So, indeed, they are not the same thing.
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