Provide For The Common Defence By Immigration Reform

According to the Associated Press article titled Chertoff Vows End to 'Catch and Release' by Jim Abrams, Secretary of Homeland Security said ``Return every single illegal entrant - no exceptions,'' when in hearings on overhauling the immigration system that are before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He and President Bush took an oath to provide for the common defense of this country as that is one purpose for what the Constitution was developed and there is no excuse for either of them or any other government official in not following through on that oath to the best of their ability. The first thing that came to my mind upon hearing his claim is that sure he might do that while the eyes of the nation are upon him but can we trust him when our eyes are not upon him. The second think is that the executive branch has the right to enforce the law or not as they see fit, a point I brought up in a earlier post.

His excuse for the policy was summed up in the following excerpt from the above article placing the blame on Congress.

Chertoff said that the nearly 900,000 Mexicans who are caught entering United States every year are returned immediately to Mexico, ``but other parts of the system have nearly collapsed under the weight of numbers.''

In the budget year that ended last month, the Border Patrol apprehended more than 160,000 non-Mexican nationals, but only 30,000 were removed from the United States. The others were released, often on their own recognizance, because there is no place to hold them. Few return for immigration hearings, he said.

I am not interested in placing blame just on correcting the problem that I am well aware is the result of political finagling that most likely involve all three branches of the federal government who were trying to pander to their supporters and therefore made the complex and contradictory spaghetti code that passes for immigration policy.

A leading proponent of changes in immigration has stated the obvious as testified in the following cite.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in prepared remarks, agreed that Congress must approve more money to enforce immigration law and make substantive changes to existing laws so the Homeland Security Department can quickly remove illegal aliens.

But he also said there must be improved avenues for legal immigration.

The article also states that if the bill is not put together until 2006 the legislative members will not want to pass it as it is a political sensitive issue and 2006 is an election year so the may apply a temporary fix. That is not acceptable as patching the system will only add one more piece of legislation to an already existing mess. We have to pressure our congressional members to respect the Declaration of Independence that holds that all human beings including immigrants are granted by Nature with the right to live and liberty. This includes the right to legally and safely enter this country provided they pass screening to determine whether or not they are a significant risk to the safety of our country, whether health, security, justice or other. This process needs to be streamlined as much as possible at the same time the border needs to be toughened and border policy enforced. The sooner this overhaul is done the better for the United States and as loyal Americans we cannot let our representatives back out or put it off.

The following bills are being proposed, both of which I approve; providing that those who apply for a visa meet the same criteria as those wishing to immigrate.

Cornyn and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., are sponsoring a bill that would give illegal immigrants five years to leave the country, but allow them to return through legal channels, including a guest worker program.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., back a bill that would let illegal immigrants apply for a temporary work visa for up to six years, after which they must return home or apply for permanent residency.

I advance the opinion that anyone wishing to immigrate or work in the United States show a desire that they with to become a member of the United States by displaying knowledge of English, The Declaration of Independence, and The Constitution. If we can afford to offer a semester course in each of these within their country to candidates while doing a background check that should be sufficient for them to enter our country.