Immigration stories (aplenty) in the news, and more

While the Senate debates the immigration bill, the media discussion on immigration is also robust today.  Christopher Mason and Julia Preston of the NYTimes has a story noting that the point system in Canada (which looks somewhat like the system that the Senate is toying with) has generated backlogs.

The LATimes Editorial page raises concerns that amendments could kill the core of comprehensive immigration reform by greatly weakening the legalization provisions and the guest worker provisions.

A Washington Post story by Pamela Constable takes a look at the impact of migration on the nation of Honduras.  As she reports, the  U.S. has deported over 13,000 people to Honduras since January.  She writes:

Illegal migration is a crucial safety valve for Honduras, achronically poor country of 7.5 million where 40 percent of thepopulace earns less than $3 a day and just over half the workforce hasa sixth-grade education. Money sent directly to Honduran families fromrelatives working in the United States, both legally and illegally,provides nearly one-third of the national income — $1.8 billion in2005, $2.3 billion last year.

Over the past several years, however, the pace of deportations from the United States has skyrocketed…..

Read more here.

All major newspapers have been tracking the Senate bill and reporting on amendment votes.

In my (still-evolving) view, the currently proposed Senate legalization package appears to be purchased at the price of a two-tier immigration system that makes immigration to our country completely dependent on the opportunities that people have in their own countries.  We’d have a temporary track for low-skilled, low wage workers who may (depending on the amendment process) never find a legal route to immigrate permanently, and a permanent track for people who get points based on the education and language skills they’ve acquired in their home countries, regardless of whether they have ties to a US employer or family.  The bill’s hyper-criminalization of people who overstay visas seems likely to feed rather than end the growing cycle of detentions and incarcerations of low wage immigrant workers.  My deep concern is that the legalization of (some of the) people currently present may be achieved at the price of a bill that actually makes our immigration system even less rational and workable than it is at present.

Many Americans came here because they could make something of themselves here even when their own countries closed doors to them.  I think that’s a big part of the American ethos, and part of why this country works.  The Senate bill could change that at a fundamental level, and that could be very unfortunate.

But let’s see what comes out of a conference committee should the House show the ability to get their own bill passed….

-jmc