Our immigration policy needs an extreme makeover
"GIVE ME YOUR TIRED, your poor"--but, please, do so
Nearly 20 years have passed since an update of America's immigration laws, and today's socioeconomic realities demand a fix. In a Quinnipiac University poll, nine of 10 Americans call immigration a serious problem; Time finds that three-quarters of us believe that the USA is doing too little to secure its borders.
The House of Representatives, reflecting constituent anger, passed legislation that would make border jumpers felons and members of do-good groups who try to help them criminals. That bill put protestors on the streets. In Los Angeles, 500,000 marched last week. Meanwhile, the Minuteman Project, a citizens movement to stem the tide of illegals, has spread to the U.S.-Canada border, raising cries of bigotry up north from Latino activists.
Here's the problem. The Rule of Law is a quintessential American value. "Justice" is blindfolded to erase distinctions based on race, ethnicity, age, sex, and other peripherals. But when a large segment of the population is left to flout the law, resentment among the law-abiding soon follows, diluting compassion and fueling an ugly backlash.
Also, since Sept. 11 Americans have patiently endured complications while traveling and abridgements of freedom in the name of national security. But when Grandma must stand in sock feet at the airport waiting to be wanded while hordes of unidentified aliens sluice through our porous borders, "national security" looks more like national insanity to the average American.
Immigrants from poor nations will rush to a bustling, free economy. But allowing them to enter unlawfully sets a precedent for flouting other laws: For example, Maryland has seen a spike in unlicensed driving, especially in Hispanic-heavy Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Citations shot up 54 percent between 2002 and 2005; many violators were undocumented.
President Bush said in his weekend radio address that "nobody benefits when the illegal immigrants live in the shadow of society." His plan is three-pronged: secure the borders, strengthen immigration enforcement, and create a temporary guest-worker program. On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee sent forward legislation that would double the size of the Border Patrol. But it also would allow those already in this country illicitly to apply for citizenship, a move many Americans oppose.
Some melding of these ideas needs to occur, but the big and irreducible fact is this: Immigrants come here to enjoy the fruits of our society. But, like past newcomers, they should do so legally, learn English, and assimilate. Really, is that too much to ask?