1. I don’t think the immigration issue hurts Gingrich in sort of a complicated way. Gingrich voted for amnesty in 1986. Now he supports another kind of limited amnesty. He can talk all he wants about red cards and American-born grandkids, he is still going to be the (an)amnesty guy. I don’t think that being for a moderate amnesty is a killer by itself. What it does is crack Gingrich’s conservative-authenticity image. It will make him more vulnerable to other charges that he isn’t a ”real” conservative. Conservatives will be more likely to give weight to arguments about Gingrich’s past support for a federal health insurance purchase mandate and cap-and-trade (not to mention Freddie Mac – though they were supporting him for some slightly mysterious reason.) Immigration also creates a new dynamic. Romney couldn’t go at Gingrich for Gingrich’s past tense support of cap-and-trade and a health insurance mandate. Romney can now hold down Gingrich while Bachmann hits Gingrich with an axe over immigration. Then she can hit him as a phony over the mandate (Gingrich was for a mandate just four years ago), cap-and-trade, etc. It is also in Bachmann’s interest to focus her fire on Gingrich in the hopes of getting (or getting back) Gingrich’s conservative authenticity-oriented supporters. Let’s face it, if a voter has stuck with Romney this far, they aren’t going to Bachmann. The incentives are there for a comeback of the Romney/Bachmann team that helped do in Pawlenty and Perry earlier this year. There is also a chance for Santorum in all this. Or I could be wrong about all of this.
2. I really hate the immigration red card thing. I agree that we should have a limited amnesty after we have reformed border and internal enforcement and reformed immigration policy in the direction of high-skilled labor. But if we are talking about longtime residents with deep ties to the community, the amnesty should be geared toward citizenship. If we are going to let someone stay here for the rest of their lives, it makes sense that we admit them as citizens. Because if we don’t want them as citizens, why do we want them here for life?
3. Same thing about the guest worker thing. My view of immigration is that, as a general rule, it should be about letting in future citizens. It won’t always work out that way on an individual level, but it is a good rule to follow in policy making. Also guest worker programs are misleading. As long as we have birthright citizenship (and there is no reason to think it is going to go away in any foreseeable future), guest workers are going to have American-born children and grandchildren who will be an argument for keeping them in the country as either a permanent nonvoter class or else changing the law to make them citizens. It is better to have a straight argument about how many potential future citizens we want to allow in.
November 23rd, 2011 | 6:08 pm
Immigration is a highly volatile issue and no matter what the two parties say it will have equal ranking with the jobs and the economy. This was illustrated on CNN cable when former Speaker Newt Gingrich stated for the record, that people who had been here at least twenty five years, with roots could in some way become a legitimate member of this society, but with no path to citizenship–and those who came here in the last 5 years would not be accepted and would be eventually deported. The only problem I see with this as many others in the GOP race to become President simply did not entertain this, because others will see this as soft on immigration enforcement, and a ‘magnet’ for others to arrive in even larger numbers. It’s a complex state of affairs and the only avenue, I see for long term illegal residents, no matter if they are paying taxes, without a criminal background, have children or as Newt said ‘going to church, is to file papers and then leave the country and wait in line like every other potential immigrant. Otherwise is greatly unfair to honest people, who have waited patiently years for a visa in other countries.
For the other illegal aliens who have no support, especially those who are in the welfare system, they must depart under their own means or eventually be deported. With the potential inception of the ‘Legal Workforce Act’ getting any job nationwide, will grow even more difficult for illegal migrants and immigrants. Businesses are under the growing pressure of being caught, with a chance of a large fines, loss of business assets and even prison. With an estimated 22 million Americans unemployed, many given-up, should add a urgency to enacting E-Verify. But as the candidates informed Moderator Wolf Blitzer, in last night’s debate, the border fence must be secured initially as that to me means the 2006 Secure Fence Act. Texas Governor Rick Perry added to the commentary a need for ‘Boots on the ground’ Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, whom Gingrich had overtaken in the polls, jumped on the prospect in distancing himself from the former congressman.
So far the Mandatory E-Verify Congressional bill has been ignored, accurately as the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli bill had been–that GOP nominating candidate Gingrich expressed. Newt Gingrich is very well versed in immigration history; he and other supporters of the bill were promised certain regulations that were watered down. Gingrich added, “We were going to get two things in return,” he said. “We were going to get control of the border and we were going to get a guest worker program with employer enforcement. We got neither.”
So the giant magnet for cheap labor is still obvious, because the politicians had obviously colluded with the business lobbyists, not enforcing the 1986 Immigration Control and Reform Act. This type of reply will not go down well with Conservatives, specifically the millions of TEA PARTY members-a growing force of voters in thousands of nationwide branches. The Liberal Progressive, including their compatriots in the media, has tried to undermine the voting power of the TEA PARTY, moderate Democrats, and uncountable numbers voters in every political party. The disillusionment for the present administration has drawn the regular American out of their morass; unknown numbers who have never voted before. Not just white citizens but, but black people, Hispanics, Orientals and all racial majorities.
On private land along the borders are hidden cameras placed there by concerned ranchers and property owners. The mind-set of the Democratic agenda is to expel that fewer aliens are crossing the border? The camera’s lens show a different story as the trails are still full of both hundreds of illegal groups daily, with the packed (mules) of drug migrant recruitment. There is no slowdown, as being recorded through this equipment. The border is still full of vast stretched of open land, barring a few rusty strands of barbed wire that has been there for decades. What all the prospective presidential candidates impressed on the audience was that the ‘Fence is not secured’ and without the House and Senate being integrated fully with the new fresh-faced TEA PARTY policymakers—it never will. Our immigration laws remain broken because of the undying influence of the thousands of lobbyists who jamb the halls of Congress. IF YEARS BACK ENTERING THE UNITED STATES WAS A FELONY, THEN THE WHOLE ISSUE WOULD BE RESOLVED.
Legal Workforce Act (H.R.2885) that would require 100% of businesses to utilize E-Verify for all new hires within 2 years. The bill would also require all federal, state, and local agencies as well as federal and state contractors, sub-contractors to use E-Verify within 6 months. The Legal Workforce Act could open up jobs currently held by the approximate 8 million plus illegal aliens. I do agree with the larger populace of this nation that we should be attracting the cream at the top of highly skilled people, whose occupations is in Science, Math and computer technology and other highly specialized trades. What we must stop is those who come here to gain access to public entitlements. We have already become a free HMO medical care, to the world’s poor and a free schooling system for unknown numbers of children of illegal alien parents that courts make us use our taxes to incur. Where are we going to find the money to pay for these unfunded mandates, that if Obama’s health care for the majority is found constitution-the funding will spiral upwards even more?
Firstly there is strong support for E-Verify law, The Legal Workforce Act, bill number H.R.2885, as just 35 co-sponsors are needed to bring this to the House floor. . Those American not working and want a job should get into action and phone 202-224-3121 in Washington and demand ‘ The Legal Workforce Act’ bill be passed. As an addition, you can go to the website of NumbersUSA and freely fax your House Representatives. All politicians, especially who are in the new TEA PARTY leadership will be held accountable in coming elections. The majority of those politicians in Washington have their own site on the web, so everybody with access to a computer can write an E-mail.
The Legal Workforce Act, E-Verify will prosecute businesses with harsh fine and prison for hiring foreign nationals. .NumbersUSA has all the facts and a free faxing system to contact the House to bring H.R. 2885, to the floor of the House.
November 24th, 2011 | 8:58 am
Dave, I do not agree that entitlements are the primary, or even secondary, draw for illegal immigration from Mexico.
Otherwise, thoughtful stuff. And you’re brave and logical enough to recommend the deportation of those who have been here 25 years or more, to tell them to go wait in line. Would you be willing, if they have children born here, to at least give them a bump up in the line? Willing, in the event you get what you want, to bump up the legal quota from Mexico specifically? So that those who do seek to reenter legally have more than a snowball-in-Sinaloa’s chance?
Pete’s right that Red Card has the potential to really confuse the basic issue.
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