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Immigration Reform Update

  • June 25, 2010
  • Category: Immigration
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Napolitano, in a speech this week (June 24, 2010) to Hispanic Leaders provided no details of what an immigration bill would look like, but said that it would be a “big goal” requiring bipartisanship.

Napolitano stressed that the administration was committed to tough enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border while working to formulate a bill. “And the word secure really becomes, effectively, ‘seal’ the border,” she said.

Whether it is Napolitano or Obama, we are getting the same speech over and over from Washington. I have 3 main questions here:

1. WHERE ARE THE DETAILS OF THIS IMMIGRATION BILL?

Many people are asking this question. Here is a quote from one of the Hispanic leaders who listened to Napolitanoā€™s speech: Nicolas Dominguez, 54, a trustee at El Paso Community College, said he was satisfied with Napolitano’s speech, but added, “I think these speeches need to be followed up by actual actions.” He also said he wanted more details about what an immigration bill would look like.

2. WHY DO WE NEED HUGE, COMPREHENSIVE REFORM?

If the Administration is aiming for an amnesty-like program, it should prepare for trench warfare. This will be a healthcare equivalent type fight. Why not concentrate on passing some small reform measures that could have a very positive impact? Why not pass either the Dream Act or the Start Up Visa Act? Both of these potential laws seem popular in Congress. Instead of tying these to some huge, complicated reform package, why not pass them now?

3. BORDER SECURITY AS A PRE-CONDITION

I have had the impression that republicans want border security as a precondition to any immigration reform debate. If the Administration wants a huge immigration reform package, they will have to make this the central feature of such a package. My reply to that is when have our borders ever been completely secure? We have hundreds of miles of desert border with Mexico and even more with Canada that have never been secure. Do we need to fence the entire area off before even beginning a debate on immigration reform?



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