It Just Makes Sense

Let’s face the facts. When state and local governments bend over backwards to support the tens of thousands of illegal aliens who stream across our borders each year while legal immigrants are stuck at the capricious whims of low-level bureaucrats, we have a problem. Whether you are in favor of the criminals or support a hard-line approach to the problem, it is clear that something needs to be done.

The Guest Worker program is a sensible plan that should be given a fair hearing, rather than dismissed by Democrats as being a barrier to more criminals entering the country and Republicans as not being tough enough on those criminals. A plan that provides a legal, safe mechanism for the illegal aliens to enter or remain in the country would satisfy the objections of all interested parties. It is unfortunate that neither side is willing to tone down the shouting long enough to understand how such a plan would work.

The Mexican government currently provides “illegal alien emergency kits” that contain food and water rations, a compass, and sundry other items designed to help ensure the illegal aliens’ safety when they attempt to penetrate America’s borders. President Vincente Fox even had the audacity to suggest, nay, demand, that the US government reimburse Mexico for the cost of these kits. His argument was that since America is such an attractive place in terms of economic opportunity, it is our fault that his citizens are coming here. He later expanded on his comments by claiming that the illegal aliens were a benefit to this country since they were willing to perform jobs that even the black community was not. Louis Farrakhan, himself a purveyor of some of the most overt racist vitriol, chose to ignore the immigration issue and instead try to elevate this to a racial one. Seizing on that idea, the liberal activists have charged anti-immigration groups as being racist, while the hard-line conservatives have taken to accusing the liberals as being anti-American. As a result, no rational discourse grounded in fact is taking place on the core issue of how to reduce the criminal activity.

A Guest Worker program makes sense for everyone. For the Mexican government, it eliminates the need to provide emergency aid services. For the American government, it reduces the burden on the overworked border patrol and immigration officials, allowing them to focus on threats to this country. For the employers of the illegal aliens, it ensures that they can freely hire willing workers without worrying about prosecution. For the illegal aliens, it means that they no longer have to live in the shadows of society. For the taxpaying American public, it means that they no longer have to fund social services for criminals who do not pay taxes themselves (remember that at most 1 in 4 current illegal aliens pays taxes according to IRS records).

There are several competing bills and plans that differ on the length of time a guest worker can remain in the US, as well as where they can apply for the working visa. All of them, however, share the theme of either putting the guest workers on a path to legal residency or providing a means for them to continue in the program. The major objection to immigration reform that the liberal activists have is, therefore, specifically addressed by all of the plans. This fact is conveniently ignored by these activists, most of who disingenuously oppose any plan on the grounds that it is (according to them) anti-Hispanic.

It’s not rocket science. Any plan that matches willing workers with available jobs is an improvement over continuing a system that encourages thousands to become criminals. With broad support for the various plans and bills, Congress ought to immediately cease the rhetoric and instead craft a working proposal utilizing the best elements from each of the competing immigration bills.