Immigration Policies under a President Romney: Less Illegal, More Legal

[Geee]

PJMedia:

Last week, in response to inquiries from CNSNews.com, Mitt Romney offered some new insight into how he would administer immigration policy as president. His answers, delivered through a spokeswoman, clarified some of the statements that were delivered in a speech last month to Latino elected officials.

Romney has articulated a coherent approach to addressing the problem of illegal immigration, which imposes enormous economic, fiscal, and public safety burdens on American communities, even those far from the border zones. His humane, rule of law-based strategy stands in stark contrast to the Obama administration’s emphasis on accommodating illegal immigrants.

His statements on legal immigration, however, while fairly bland and conventional, are also a little bit troubling. He would increase legal immigration and expand opportunities for U.S. employers to import workers from abroad, both skilled and unskilled. Romney apparently wanted to make sure that his strategy included some proposals that would be characterized as “pro-immigrant.” Unfortunately, he seems to think that “pro-immigrant” necessarily means “more immigrants and more visas.”

ADVERTISEMENT

First let’s look at the border security and enforcement provisions. The first clue that a Romney administration would be different from the status quo is his observation that currently, the border is far from secure:

According to the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, Border Patrol lacks control of over half of our southwest border. And some estimates indicate that over 40% of illegal immigrants in America entered the country legally, but then overstayed their visas.

Item One on his border strategy to-do list is “complete a high tech fence.” Multi-layered fencing has enabled the Border Patrol to take back huge areas on our side, particularly around San Diego and El Paso, that were formerly a No Man’s Land open to illegal crossers, smugglers, and bandits. Just about anyone who has seen the fence would agree that it really does work, at least in areas where it can be patrolled. The Obama administration, on the other hand, has chosen to surrender hundreds of square miles of territory in southern Arizona and other places to the Mexican cartels, leaving the Americans who live there to fend for themselves.

Romney also promises to implement an exit control system so that our homeland security agency finally will know which visitors have overstayed their visas. Despite long-standing directives from Congress, plans for this system have languished for more than six years. Current DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has told Congress that she thinks exit controls are of “dubious” value, and is only grudgingly agreeing to put forward a plan this year in the face of bi-partisan nudging.

Of course, simply knowing who has overstayed is not particularly helpful if the government is making no effort to deport the illegal aliens that come to their attention. Here too, Romney has displayed a refreshing commitment to enforcing the law. Asked by a Boston columnist if he would deport Uncle Omar, the president’s uncle — an illegal alien fugitive discovered last year after his arrest for drunk driving, who is still working and driving for a liquor store in Massachusetts – Romney replied with a decisive “yes.”

[pollyannaish]

Excellent. Well thought out and articulate.

 

I should add: I have absolutely no problem with importing labor through immigration. I'd rather have that then outsourcing.

 

I know we don't like to hear this, but there are many jobs Americans don't want to do. Especially "shovel ready" jobs like working in fields. If there is labor eager and willing they should have access to those jobs and get to follow Their American dream as full members of society.

 

We need an honest discussion about this. This is a great place to start.

[Draggingtree]

Enlarge Photo

**FILE** An illegal immigrant from El Salvador is searched June 26, 2012,

 

Report: Illegals released by feds committed 19 murders, 142 sex crimes

 

 

The Obama administration released illegal immigrants who went on to commit more crimes, including charges of 19 murders, 3 attempted murders and 142 sex crimes, the House Judiciary Committee said in a report Tuesday.

 

All told, the nearly 47,000 illegal immigrants the administration was notified of but declined to deport between 2008 and 2011 under its Secure Communities program had a recidivism rate of 16 percent, the committee said.

 

They were just part of the nearly read morehttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/31/illegals-released-feds-19-murders-142-sex-crimes/

[Pepper]

@pollyannaish

 

I see a lot of able bodied people sitting on front porches of trailers during week days when other people of similar age and physical condition are working.

In exchange of welfare checks and cellphones we should require work- with the exceptions of elderly and illness.

manual labor never killed anyone.

[pollyannaish]

@pollyannaish

 

I see a lot of able bodied people sitting on front porches of trailers during week days when other people of similar age and physical condition are working.

In exchange of welfare checks and cellphones we should require work- with the exceptions of elderly and illness.

manual labor never killed anyone.

 

That is true. However, business owners can not be punished by being forced to hire people who refuse to do the work. A farmer has to get his crops in, no matter who's sitting on their backsides, and to get quality labor, they have to be motivated.

 

So, in my opinion, welfare reform (which was just a week or so gutted) is essential to changing that dynamic. Once there are fewer jobs available, we can look at legal immigration rules. Until then, we should import the labor.

 

That, in my opinion, is a welfare problem not an immigration problem. But truth be told, the war on Poverty from the 60s has had significant impact in three areas: Weakening of traditional marriage and out of wedlock birth; entitlement mentalities even among the educated elite; illegal immigration due to the lack of a willing and upwardly mobile manual labor pool.

[Pepper]

Americans need to be pay a higher price for produce because only higher wages will get people off their ass to pick crops, @pollyannaish Or force the able bodied to work for a check.

 

Agree with you on LBJ's war on poverty. It was a success, wasn't it?

 

/s

 

We have more of it now than ever before, by rewarding bad behavior.

[pollyannaish]

@Pepper

 

Shhhh. We don't want the hoi paloi to think that not eating their veggies out of protest for low wages is patriotic now. They'll get fatter! Doggone food desserts.

[Draggingtree]

Brewer asks judge to reject bid by critics to bar police from enforcing Ariz. immigration law

 

by Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press

10:17 am on 08/14/2012

PHOENIX — Saying opponents of Arizona’s immigration law are merely speculating with claims that it will lead to racial profiling, lawyers for Gov. Jan Brewer have asked a federal judge to reject a bid to prevent police from enforcing the statute’s most contentious section.

The Republican governor’s attorneys told U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton in a filing Friday that the law’s requirement that police check the immigration status of people they stop for violations other than immigration should be allowed to take effect.

Opponents have called this the “show me your papers provision” and say that it will inevitably lead to discrimination against Hispanics.

A coalition of civil rights, religious and business groups that oppose the law launched a fresh attack after the U.S. Supreme Court in late June upheld the section in question and rejected others.

The opponents read more http://nbclatino.com/2012/08/14/brewer-asks-judge-to-reject-bid-by-critics-to-bar-police-from-enforcing-ariz-immigration-law/