by Tina Grazier
Senator Elizabeth Dole and five other republican senators wrote President Bush today telling him that federal policies encourage illegal immigration. They also submitted a resolution in the Senate calling for changes in policies; actions Dole says can be taken without writing new law:
* Prosecuting migrants captured at the border rather than returning them to Mexico
* Enforcing the prohibition of in-state tuition
* Increasing the number of detention beds, border agents and investigators by years end
* Building 700 miles of border fence
* Increase and expedite removal proceedings and enforce the provisions for overstayed visas
“The federal government’s failure to carry out the immigration laws on the books sends the message that this country is not really serious about securing our borders and communities and stemming the flow of illegal aliens. We don’t need more empty promises – we need real proof that our borders are secure and that our laws are enforced.”–Senator Dole
Wellits a beginning, I guess. There are other policies that invite illegal immigration and also need to be changed but they would require new law. One is the so called anchor baby rule that gives citizenship to all babies born here regardless of their parents status. Another is the free medical and services we offer. It is one thing to systematically welcome newcomers to our nation, it is another to offer the moon to all comers…particularly those who cheat the system.
The big “but” in Doles “beginning’ is that we don’t have much faith that the changed policies would be carried out any better than the ones we now have. The illusion of immigration control must be made real. A real fence might be a start.
The GOP must have gotten the message from back home. Try this related article in the LA Times:
“House Republicans introduce their own immigration bill,” by Nicole Gaouette
WASHINGTON — In a sharp rebuke to President Bush, House Republicans today introduced their own immigration reform and border security bill, a tough measure that would bar illegal immigrants from gaining legal status, require tamper-proof birth certificates for Americans, require employers to check the legal status of all workers and make English the nation’s official language. The Secure Borders First Act stresses operational control over the border as one of its core principles. The bill would reject “amnesty” and insist that the administration do more to enforce existing laws.