Lorie Love
(Editor’s note: This is that last of a four-day series on the impact of immigration in Madison County.)
It’s highly controversial and an explosive political issue: How should the United States handle an ever-increasing population of undocumented immigrants?
From building fences and employing more border patrol agents to offering amnesty to those who already are here, proponents for reform have many ideas, but none have been implemented.
With millions of immigrants already in the U.S., and no sign of a decrease in the number of illegals entering the country, members of Congress have proposed legislation to help better control immigration.
Last summer, Congress failed to a pass sweeping immigration overhaul.
In the spring, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which was proposed as a compromise between legalization of illegal immigrants and increased border enforcement.
The bill called for increasing border personnel, establishing border security initiatives, mandatory detention of aliens apprehended at or between ports of entry, cooperation with Mexico and more National Guard support on the southern border.
It also established English as the national language of the United States and allowed illegal aliens who have been in the United States for five years and been employed for three of those five years to be granted permanent resident status. The bill also called for the establishment of a program issuing “blue cards” to undocumented agricultural workers that provide for 10 months of temporary residence.
Opponents of the bill called it amnesty for illegal immigrants.
After much debate, and 350 amendments, the bill was shelved and never voted on.
When the Senate failed to pass immigration reform, a bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Heath Shuler, D.-N.C. The Secure American through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2007 had a lot of momentum but has not yet seen a floor vote.
The SAVE Act called for the expansion of the government’s employment eligibility verification system — or the E-Verify program, as it is called by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — into a nationwide mandatory program for all employers and workers in the economy.
It also would use the Social Security Administration’s “no match” letter program as an enforcement tool by requiring employers to fire workers with mismatched information unless workers could fix the problem within 10 days.
The SAVE Act also would call for all reported anomalies such as multiple uses of a Social Security number and mismatches into a DHS database.
It also would continue the increase in Border Patrol agents and fund more infrastructure and technology along the southern border and provide incentives for more state and local police to enforce immigration laws.
Opposers of the bill say it only addresses half of the issue, calling it an enforcement-only bill.
In March, a motion was filed to bring the SAVE Act out of committee and directly to the House floor. It has not been voted on.
Another bill, the New Employee Verification Act of 2008, called for a mandatory electronic employment verification system that would require all 7 million U.S. employers to query a federal government database during the hiring process of every worker they employ.
The bill is in the first step of the legislative process and still is being reviewed. In April, the House Education and Labor Committee referred the bill to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
This session of Congress will be over in less than a week and it is unlikely an immigration bill will be passed.
Enforcement
of current law
Some anti-immigration advocates say the best way to deal with illegal immigrants is to enforce laws already in place.
In August of last year, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced a series of reforms the administration would pursue to address border security and immigration challenges using existing laws.
Those reforms included adding 18,300 Border Patrol agents by the end of 2008, 370 miles of fencing, 300 miles of vehicle barriers and 105 camera and radar towers. The Department of Homeland Security said it would work to ensure that 1,700 more agents were added in 2009.
According to the plan, released by the White House Office of Communications, the administration planned to maintain its policy of “catch and return” for illegal aliens apprehended at the border.
“For years, limited detention space forced the release of many illegal border crossers from nations other than Mexico with nothing more than a Notice to Appear for a hearing before an immigration judge,” the plan reads. “Many aliens ignored these notices and instead blended in to U.S. society.”
The “catch-and-return” policy will allow authorities to hold those trying to cross the border illegally until they can be removed, the plan reads.
As part of the plan, Departments of State and Homeland Security were instructed to strengthen legal efforts to keep out international gang members.
Another way Chertoff’s plan hopes to improve border security is expanding exit requirements so that people who have overstayed limited-duration visits can be identified. The administration also planned to establish a new land-border exit system for guest workers.
Continued training for state and local law enforcement, the use of passports at all U.S. ports of entry and enhanced worksite enforcement are other ways the administration plans to enforce existing immigration laws.
On the
campaign trail
Because no immigration overhaul has made it out of Congress, the issue is a hot topic for the 2008 campaign.
Democrat Barack Obama voted for the immigration overhaul bill to strengthen border controls, create a guest worker program and legalize millions of foreign workers who already are in the United States. He also backed the Secure Fence Act and co-sponsored a bill to allow states to offer illegal immigrants in-state tuition.
In 2006, Republican John McCain co-sponsored the Senate immigration bill that would have legalized millions of immigrants in the U.S., strengthened border control and created a guest worker program. He has since said he believes in securing the borders before legalizing immigrants.
He said he recognizes the economic value of immigrant workers, so he backs a sensible guest-worker program.
Lorie Love can be reached at llove@richmond
register.com or 624-6690.
