NY Times: Immigration Reform

[La_Serpiente]

Immigration Reform

President Bush is said to be preparing a list of principles for overhauling the nation's unworkable immigration policy. That is an excellent way to begin the new year — Washington has not made any serious attempt at reform since the Reagan administration. But a presidential wish list announced during a campaign season is not enough. The president has to convince some of his fellow Republicans in Congress that the system isn't working. American officials cannot keep pretending that 8 million to 10 million illegal immigrants do not exist.

A simple crackdown aimed at sending all illegal immigrants back where they came from would not work. It would simply drive people without proper documentation deeper into the shadows, where they would continue to be at the mercy of unscrupulous employers and would be afraid to report crimes, send their children to school or seek treatment when they had infectious diseases. Mr. Bush apparently recognizes the need to give them the hope of gaining legal status, undoubtedly by a slower route than is offered to those who have been following the rules and waiting their turn to enter the country.

Four years ago, the president campaigned on immigration reform, an idea that faded after Sept. 11 when immigration policy suddenly focused, understandably, on security. But immigrants, who have continued breaching the borders by the thousands, have posed a danger mainly to themselves: more than 490 died in 2003 trying to get here.

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Immigration Reform

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[cryofan]

1. Bah! The NYTimes is just another "cheap labor conservative" mouthpiece

....they pretend that all they are concerned about is the immigrant, but in reality they are concerned about corporate and investor profits. What about the American citizens who used to do the jobs new held by the illegal immigrant? Are those jobs that Americans do not want to do? Yes, but only because the increased supply of desperate illegal immigrants forced the pay down so low that Americans cannot afford to do those jobs anymore. We Americans are supposed to back each other up. Whatever happened to the social contract?

[pfitz59]

2. President Bush is said to be preparing a list of principles ......

....for overhauling the nation's unworkable immigration policy. Guarantee Shrub will read what's placed before him. He's not "preparing" squat! Heritage Foundation or AEI have 'Shrub's policy' ready to go!