Monty Berns Sounds Off on Immigration Reform

Kudos to all those immigrant rights groups who lambasted the ‘Grand Compromise’ as excessively restrictive and penal. It was because of these groups, not those anti-immigrant Republicans, that the bill was scuttled. Good job pressuring those impressionable Democratic Senators for a path to citizenship for guest workers as well as pushing for many other deal breaker amendments. Please excuse the sarcasm but the frustrating truth is that the liberal idealism of these groups was the final straw that broke the day laborer’s back. Any hope of normalization for our undocumented was instantly crushed when 15 Democrats and 1 Independent voted against advancing the ‘Grand Compromise’ bill. If the Democrats had got their house in order there were adequate Republican votes to pass this important legislation.

Many still do not realize that our country is governed by a 2 party system. This means that only a bipartisan compromise will result in immigration reform. Democrats must realize that Republicans will not support any bill that allows for extended chain migration or one that advocates a guest worker program that would lead to permanent residency and citizenship. Most importantly Republicans & most Americans demand a merit -based system. Even with a Democrat as president and majorities in both the House and Senate we will still be a 2 party system for the foreseeable future so any immigration reform must be bipartisan.

If you thought the status quo was pathetic before this legislation was dashed it is far worse now – and it is only two weeks later! Already state and local governments are lining up to pass anti-immigrant ordinances. It seems as if the failure of the ‘Grand Compromise’ has silenced the voices of sanity and given those enforcement only advocates carte blanche…I take that back, I forgot that ‘carte blanche’ is clearly not an American word and I do not want to risk breaking one of these new laws (Thanks God I did not use any Spanish lingo or the Dobbs/Tancredo secret police might be knocking on my door!). Many of these ordinances are designed to hunt down any undocumented, deprive them of work, a living space, and ultimately deport or chase them out of town. As a result our undocumented are living in complete fear and have withdrawn even further into the shadows. Many of these people have lived here for such a long time that loss of employment or family-shattering deportation is completely devastating.

We need to wake up now to this full-blown humanitarian crisis and salvage some semblance of sanity. It is disgusting to impose such enforcement only provisions without first dealing with our undocumented population. It is clear that our government was complicit in the buildup of our undocumented population. Post 1986 there was no major demand for enforcement, Government turned a blind eye and to a large extent the public simply did not care. We left the door open, we shouted over the fence for those hardworking people…. and they came in numbers. So we let them work, let them bring over their families and we turned the other way when it came to enforcement.

Now in 2007 we face a completely different reality, there is an overwhelming demand for border security and interior enforcement. But in order for us to address these concerns it is crucial and fair to first deal with our existing illegal immigrant population in a humane way. The overwhelming majority of undocumented workers crossed the border with the sole intention of providing for their families and seeking a better life for their children. Any person who claims they would not break such a law to provide for their children is totally blinded by privilege or not telling the truth. It is also equally obvious that deportation for people who have lived here for years is NOT an appropriate or fair punishment nor is it a practical solution!! Yet that ridiculous law-breaker argument is still prevalent.

Ms. Pelosi needs to be made aware that the current enforcement only trend must be stopped and the humanitarian crisis faced by our undocumented must be immediately addressed. The House is the last bastion of hope for 12 million human beings so I urge all of you to contact your congressional representatives and demand immediate comprehensive reform that addresses our security and economic concerns but also treats people fairly. At the very LEAST the House or even the Senate should make available a computerized biometric database for state and local governments to use. With such a tool local authorities could biometrically register all undocumented workers in their communities who have lived in the U.S. for a minimum of 1-4yrs. Each of these undocumented would pay a fine that would cover the administrative costs involved in this national database registration including a criminal background check. To offset social services expenses these undocumented would also be required to register for a local guest tax. In return for coming forward the undocumented would receive a biometric state level identification card that would allow any qualifying undocumented to live, drive & work in the state of registration. Now undocumented drivers would be able to obtain auto insurance along with numerous other provisions that would actually benefit legal residents! In other words all undocumented people who have lived crime free in the U.S. for a certain number of years would be awarded a provisional protected status. This protected status would be valid until the time comprehensive immigration reform is passed. Such a policy, administered at the local level, would make it possible to enact interior enforcement measures without worrying about the humanitarian consequences. It will also make it far easier to deal with comprehensive immigration reform when congress or the Senate eventually commits to reforming our broken system!