| IMMIGRATION REFORM ALL TALK AND NO ACTION |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, November 07 2005 |
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| In the past few weeks, there have been two new developments in immigration reform: a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee about overhauling the immigration system, and a new proposal by Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. Until now, all we have heard are proposals, counterproposals, suggestions and criticism. But all that talk has only taken us about an inch closer to comprehensive reform.
During the hearing, held Oct. 18, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff presented the Bush administration's new multibillion-dollar package, which addresses, among other things, the illegal entry of immigrants through our border. Its key element is to end the "catch and release" policy that has allowed tens of thousands of non-Mexican undocumented immigrants to disappear within the United States.
In case you weren't aware of it, if a Mexican is caught entering the country illegally, he or she is detained and immediately deported -- no questions asked. But other immigrants, referred to as OTMs (Other Than Mexicans), are detained, released and asked to come back for a deportation hearing. The excuse is that there is no place to hold them. Of course, few return for their hearings. Part of the money in the new package will go toward buying more beds.
In the past year, the Border Patrol apprehended more than 160,000 OTMs; of those, only 30,000 were deported. In contrast, about 900,000 Mexicans are caught crossing the border illegally each year, and almost all are returned; many are repeat offenders. About $30 million has been approved to finish building a wall on the Mexican border in California -- as if that is going to stop them from crossing.
The administration's position still includes a guest-worker program, as do most of the other proposals pending in Congress. That takes me to Hagel's proposal, which includes separate bills that also address employment security and a plan that would lead to the legalization of between 8 million and 11 million undocumented immigrants living in this country.
That's pretty ambitious for a Republican who acknowledges that it will be very difficult to find a consensus within his own party for anything that even smells like amnesty. Another bill, presented by Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona, would deputize local and state police to enforce immigration laws, and calls for a temporary-worker program with no path to citizenship.
Up to now, the most complete plan -- depending on which side of the issue you are on -- is the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005, a bipartisan bill by Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, which opens the door to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. This one was endorsed by Mexican President Vicente Fox.
There are two other related bills also stuck in Congress. One is the DREAM Act, which could benefit up to 50,000 high-school graduates who have no access to higher education because of their status. This would allow them to have legal status and pay in-state tuition. The other is AgJOBS, which would benefit thousands of agricultural workers, allowing them to obtain temporary legal status for themselves and their families.
Congress has many opportunities to move ahead on this issue. One positive sign is that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has agreed to take up immigration as early as next February, although he wants to deal with border security first and leave the more controversial issues for later. But to ignore them would be a big mistake and a waste of our resources.
The United States cannot afford to invest billions of dollars in border security without creating a program that would allow legal, orderly entry into our country to a much-needed labor force and dealing with the millions of undocumented workers already here. It's time to go from talking to taking action. |
