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Jewish World Review Oct. 13, 2005 / 10 Tishrei, 5766 Conservatives will be peeved yet again after Prez's illegals initiative By Ruben Navarrette Jr.
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
In the Bush White House, immigration reform has long been on hold.
Now all indications are that it is about to become a second-term
priority.
It's about time. It's been nearly two years since President Bush
suggested, in January 2004, that the country needed a guest worker
program to match foreign workers with American employers to ``do
jobs that Americans won't do'' — at least not for the wages that
American employers have grown accustomed to paying.
Bush suggested allowing millions of illegal immigrants to apply for
a three-year work visa (with a single three-year extension) before
returning to their native country. To increase the chances that the
guests leave before they overstay their welcome, Bush proposed
creating private 401(k)-type savings accounts that could only be
tapped into once the worker returns home.
Critics in Bush's own party called that ``amnesty'' and blasted the
idea — and the president for proposing it. The barrage sent the
White House into hiding on the topic of immigration reform.
Republicans in Congress opportunistically stepped in to fill the
vacuum by proposing more than a dozen pieces of legislation ranging
from the restrictive to the reactionary to the ridiculous.
Now Bush seems ready to take charge of the issue again, perhaps
hoping to quiet the anti-illegal immigration zealots in the GOP
before they give conservatism a bad name. White House political
strategist Karl Rove has been quietly meeting with members of both
parties to share details of an administration backed immigration
reform plan that could soon be headed to Congress.
To take the measure of what the administration seems to have in
mind, it helps to think in terms of not just what is likely to make
its way into the plan, but also what is likely to be left out.
Before long, you find yourself with the good, the bad and the
unfortunate.
What's good is that the president will likely call for more Border
Patrol agents and more spending on technology to help agents detect
border-crossers. It's also good that the plan will probably include
a hefty fine — perhaps as much as $2,000 — on illegal immigrants
who are already here, to drive home the idea that these people have
committed a crime and have to make restitution.
What's bad is any plan to turn illegal immigrants into ``guest
workers.'' Amnesty is a terrible idea that absolves the individual
of the responsibility to take the steps to legalize his status. And
guest workers are nothing but a glorified labor subsidy to farms,
restaurants, construction firms and other industries hooked on
illegal immigrant labor — one that often leaves workers abused and
exploited. That's because, if employers were willing to spend the
money to create the reforms that protect workers' rights, it would
negate the value of the subsidy.
And what's unfortunate is that one thing you're not likely to see in
the president's plan is any mention of fining, prosecuting or
otherwise punishing those U.S. employers who flout the law by
knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.
If it goes down that way, then Bush will have squandered a valuable
opportunity to do something really meaningful in the area of
immigration reform.
As I recently told a roomful of Border Patrol agents, here is what
Congress and the White House should do: Institute a three strikes
law for anyone who hires an illegal immigrant. On the first offense,
you get a warning. The second time, you get fined $25,000. The third
time, you get 10 days in jail. Pass the law, and actually enforce it
— against everyone from farmers to hotel managers to soccer moms.
No exceptions, and no excuses.
I've never heard Bush refer to the individuals and companies that
hire illegal immigrants, and what should be done about them. And I
have no reason to suspect that he'll start now. Mark my words:
Whatever he tosses into his plan, the last thing Bush will do is
call for a new round of employer sanctions, or even stricter
enforcement of the sanctions already on the books.
A source within the administration agreed, telling me that he didn't
think the plan would make any reference to employer sanctions.
What a shock. After all, it's companies like these that help color
in the red states by giving mightily to the political campaigns of
Republicans, including the president himself. Going after them would
mean biting the hand that feeds whole herds of elephants.
That goes a long way toward explaining why the United States has a
problem with illegal immigration in the first place — and why this
administration is probably not the one to solve it.
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Mitch Albom | |||||||||||
