How should Democrats deal with the immigration issue?

[Dawgs]

Should they treat it as a job's issue? Should they treat it as a human rights issue?

I heard Bush's comment this morning say something like 'these people are doing work that Americans don't WANT to do'. When I heard it I told my wife that Democrats need to wake up and take a stand on immigration, outsourcing, the port deal and use to take back Congress. Bush might not be wrong, but he's coming very close to telling Americans that there ARE jobs out there but you don't want them so we're going to give them to illegal's.

I'm just afraid that Republicans are going to be able to use this like they used gay marriage and abortion in 2004.

[bullimiami]

1. treat it as what it is. the repukes are trying to legalize slave labor.

they hate the immigrants otherwise.

[rocktivity]

2. Deal with it as a CHEAP LABOR issue

Bush doesn't care about the illegals any more than he cared about gays or pregnant women. He cares about making his campaign-contributing corporate cronies happy, and converting the illegals to guest workers to citizens to Repub voters.

Dems should say that if the Repubs are genuinely serious about solving the illegal immigration problem, the laws they need to enact and strengthen must involve sealing the borders and punishing businesses who hire illegals.

:headbang:
rocknation

[B Calm]

10. EXACTLY!!!

[lovuian]

24. Cheap Labor is a crime... Go after the employers...

and the healthcare issue needs to be addressed... If ilegal immigrants get their healthcare paid by the state then Americans can sure get theres paid for too... socialized medicine needs to be enacted...

The dems need to also STOP OUTSOURCING JOBS!!! and protect our industries...

[Boojatta]

3. Maybe the Republicans have been in power long enough...

to have obtained some statistical information. Specifically, what percentage of illegal immigrants are refugees?

For every illegal immigrant from Mexico, is the Mexican government giving Mexican citizenship to one person who is recognized by the UNHCR as being a genuine refugee?

Note: UNHCR = United Nations High Commission for Refugees (i.e. it is the UN Refugee Agency)

[bowens43]

4. Lately the rhetoric here on DU has bordered on racism.

If I didn't know better , I would think that I had signed on to freerepublic when reading 'immigration ' threads.
'
The stand we should take is for amnesty for all of those here and a streamlined entry process for those who wish to come.

[Boojatta]

7. You don't really mean "all", do you?

The stand we should take is for amnesty for all of those here (...)

For example, suppose some person has a tourist visa that expired two months ago. Should such a person get amnesty?

[nevergiveup]

5. Build a huge wall along

the American Mexican border and then bomb the Statue of Liberty. :sarcasm:

[B Calm]

11. No reason to build a wall, just fine the shit out of cheap labor bosses

who hire them!

[still_one]

6. The Democrats actually take the lead on an issues???

impossible

[earth mom]

8. It should be framed as EXPLOITATION of ALL workers.

Wages are down as a result. Unions are being broken. We must not let the bastard rethugs turn this into an issue of racism. They twist and spin everything and you can be sure they will do the same with this one. :puke:

[Kansas Wyatt]

9. Jobs Issue

Undocumented or ILLEGAL workers are undercutting wages for blue collar workers, and are causing higher under employment and unemployment rates. More competition now for what jobs haven't been outsourced, due to employers hiring ILLEGAL workers, and John Q. Citizen will just have to work for slave wages and be treated shit. ILLEGAL workers have migrated to every blue collar job category, and John Q. Citizen clearly sees who is not standing up to Republicans wanting cheap slave labor.

Democratic Party, this is why you lose working class votes, because the working class sees the hypocrisy of your claims to the working class. Anyone who advocates for unchecked and free immigration, needs to give up your livelihood and economic job security first, then you will have some credibility on the issue. As opposed to just pissing on the blue collar worker who has watched their past employment opportunities go to cheap illegal slave labor. If that is what you personally want, fine, but do not demand it from a blue collar worker trying to earn enough to pay his rising bills.

Outsourcing and In-sourcing gains the same results for Working Americans. If the Democratic Party wants John Q. Citizen to think that illegal immigration is okay, because it helps poor citizens of other countries. Then suffer the consequences of a working class that can't really see the Democratic Party representing them anymore, while they vote for lying Republicans tricking them out of their best interests.

[Minnesota Libra]

12. Solving the immigration issue will require us all to.........

....forget the possibility of a utopian solution.:eyes: There just isn't any utopia is real life.:shrug: Instead, we've got to look for a solution that hurts the least amount of people while providing the most amount of benefits.:headbang:

Is that going to be easy?:cry: NO :cry: But, it could be done.:think:

Unfortunately, I just don't see Democrats/Liberals getting their act together and coming up with a :think: COMPROMISE solution that benefits this country FIRST and then and only then benefits the immigrants.

The compromise solution would have to close up our porous borders.

It would have to hire more border guards. This might actually put more Americans to work in our own country.

It would have to fine the crap out of companies hiring illegal aliens. Something like four times the amount of GROSS PROFITS in any given WEEK for each illegal alien found working at a given company and DOUBLE that every single day.

It would have to provide for worker programs - with limits of course.

It would also require immigrants to meet all requirements for being a citizen.

Edited to add: Besides fining companies the one thing that would cut illegal immigration quickly is to bar all non-citizens from receiving any social benefits whatsoever (food stamps, subsidized housing, etc) for a period of at least 5 years.

Unfortunately, I just don't see Democrats/Liberals coming up with the necessary agreements. OMG, hope I'm wrong though.:pals:

[Boojatta]

14. Some of the penalty money paid by companies that hired illegal aliens

could be paid to those who report the companies to the government.

It would have to fine the crap out of companies hiring illegal aliens. Something like four times the amount of GROSS PROFITS in any given WEEK for each illegal alien found working at a given company and DOUBLE that every single day.

[Minnesota Libra]

15. Not a bad idea at all!! nt

[Mr_Spock]

18. You're tuned into the nuance of this issue...

...this is why I'm refusing to take any sides on this issue - it's too complicated for politics & politicians.

I suppose some sort of phased-in plan with some sort of amnesty for those caught in the middle may be best...

[Minnesota Libra]

20. Remember, they did the amnesty thing during the Carter days I think it....

......was. All that did was teach thousands of other illegal aliens that if they wait long enough they too will get amnesty.

[Mr_Spock]

23. Well, I'm talking amnesty with a deadline

At some point people who do not declare themselves eligible for amnesty will be unceremoniously kicked out on their asses - as awful and heartless as that sounds. That may be the kind of teeth a program needs to get people to come out of the woodwork and into the system where we can budget for them...

[Minnesota Libra]

25. OK, I could deal with that and it might work too. nt

[blogslut]

13. If it were up to me

Here's my position of the job/immigrant issue:

1) Pay the Federal minimum wage to workers working legally in America.

2) Properly fund border security.

3) Enforce the laws -already in place- that penalize American employers for hiring illegal workers.

[mzmolly]

17. Very balanced solution.

:hi:

[Mr_Spock]

16. I'm of two minds on this issue and refuse to commit

I'm just not sure where we should draw the line on this issue - it's way too complicated for a simple "positional statement" IMHO...

[4freethinking]

19. I tell you what.....

This country is going to get a wake up call about the social ramifications of illegal immigration. We tend to focus on other aspects of the immigration debate. I live in So. Cal and look at our schools and jails and see a powder keg that's ready to go off. The concussion will go outside the jails and schools.

[WilliamPitt]

21. This is one of those times

when I go mamby-pamby and say let's have no plan other than to point and say "This isn't working. Why? Because the GOP will rip itself to pieces over this issue, and they are welcome to the strife.

Immigration is possibly the most complex national/regional issue we have to deal with. There are few good answers and even fewer workable solutions. But so many right-wingers have made hay off bashing the "brown folks" who pick our lettuce and clean up after us, I say let them reap their own whirlwind. Let them smash themselves to bits, let there be some insurgent dickhead right-winger who runs in '08 demagoguing on immigration a la Pat Buchanan. Let's exploit the rift, win the election, and then come up with a good plan.

[TankLV]

22. Personally, I don't think they should have quotos at all.

Open immigration like it was at the end of the 1800's before the racist and xenophobic immigration laws went into effect by the REPUKES the first time around!

That's my humble suggestion.

American never saw such a period of growth and expansion and energy as it did then.

It could be that way again.