This blog is a summary of a great article by Kris W. Kobach (a professor of constitutional law at UMKC) and Matthew Spalding, published by The Heritage Foundation. They go into a lot more detail, and I would highly encourage you to check out their full article, but here is a paraphrased version which highlights the 10 worst provisions of the current immigration bill (my comments are in italics).
1. A Massive Amnesty This bill grants amnesty to anyone who could qualify for a Z-visa, and there is no limit on the number of Z-visas available. The only qualifications for the Z-visa are a job and two documents that show the person in question was here before January 1, 2007. For just a few thousand dollars, anyone in the world can buy legal status in America. How many terrorists do you think have a few thousand dollars laying around?
2. The Permanent "Temporary" Visa Supporters of the bill don't tell you that these Z-visas can be renewed every four years until the visa holder dies. Also, illegals don't need to return to their home countries to apply for the Z-visa - they only need to return home if they want to get a green card and become a 'lawful permenent resident'. Temporary = permanent.
3. Hobbled Background Checks This bill would allow only 24 hours for criminal background checks for Z-visa applicants. If a specific reason for denial hasn't been found by the day after the application was submitted, a probationary Z-visa is granted. "During the 1986 amnesty, the United States granted legal status to Mahmoud “The Red” Abouhalima, who fraudulently sought and obtained the amnesty intended for seasonal agricultural workers (even though he was actually employed as a cab driver in New York City). But his real work was in the field of terrorism. He went on to become a ringleader in the 1993 terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center." See provision #1.
4. Amnesty for Absconders Any illegal alien who has been ordered by a judge to be deported -- but broke the law again by staying anyway -- will be granted a Z-visa. Tell me how that makes sense...
5. Reverse Justice If an illegal alien is in the process of being removed from the US, the proceedings must be closed and the illegal alien will be offered a Z-visa. Again, tell me how that makes sense...
6. Enforcement of Amnesty, Not Laws Any Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent that arrests an illegal alien must provide them the opportunity to apply for a Z-visa. "This is the equivalent of turning the Drug Enforcement Agency into a needle-distribution network." What a great idea.
7. Amnesty for Gang Members Any gang member that is an illegal alien would receive amnesty simply by stating his gang affiliation and signing a "renunciation of gang affiliation." Yeah, that'll work.
8. Tuition Subsidies for Illegal Aliens This bill would grant in-state status to illegal aliens, which would provide more money and lower tuition rates for illegals than for both legal aliens and US out-of-state citizens. You've got to be kidding me!
9. Taxpayer-Funded Lawyers for Illegal Aliens This bill would force taxpayers to foot the bill for illegal aliens' lawyers. This provision alone would cost hundreds of millions of dollars every year. You think your taxes are high now...just wait until you pay for a few million lawyers!
10. Amnesty Before Enforcement Triggers Supporters of the bill say that amnesty would occur only after certain law enforcement goals are met. The truth is that the bill allows Z-visas to be immediately issued, and the government is actually prohibited from waiting more than 180 days to start issuing them. Say one thing, mean another - typical political-speak.
Do we need to do something about illegal immigration? Absolutely, yes. Is this bill the right answer? Absolutely not! If this bill goes through, we are talking about some monstrous changes in American economics, culture, law enforcement, and life in general. I honestly cannot understand why anyone in their right mind would be in favor of this bill -- especially after knowing what's in here -- unless it's for the reasons stated in my previous blog: pure politics.
So, how do you make your voice known? Call your Senators. Ask them what their stance is on this bill, and tell them you will not vote for anyone who approves of this bill. Call them more than once, just to drill your point home. As discussed in previous blogs, the politicians REALLY want this bill to go through. The ONLY way this bill will be killed is if Americans deluge, swamp, and overwhelm the phone lines, fax lines, mailboxes, and e-mail inboxes with outrage demanding to kill it.
If you want to see how your representatives have voted so far on the individual provisions, click here.
If you want to see what provisions are coming up for a vote soon, click here.
There's my two cents.
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