In a report to members of Congress (June 10, 2009), Lake Research Partners submitted a poll data from around the country showing that the time for comprehensive immigration reform is now. In fact, their tracking shows that the current economic situation has actually increased the desire for quick action on immigration reform.
Voters see that the broken immigration system is a problem that has neglected far too long. And their consistent choice is comprehensive reform that resotres control and order, expands the tax base, and is practical, fair and consistent with American values.
In addition to securing the border and stopping illegal hiring, we need to require illegal immigrants to to register, pass background, pay taxes, and study English in order to be eligible to apply for citizenship. This comprehensive approach will secure our borders, level the playing field, and stop dishonest business from from gaining an unfair advantage. It will make illegal immigrants into legal taxpayers and bring needed money into the federal budget.
Persons have the right to immigrate, especially to feed their families, and to flee persecution. However, the host nation has the right to protact its borders and to limit the number of immigrants. How can this conflict be resolved? To deport 12 million illegal immigrants, is simply not viable. To continue the status quo with their living in the shadows is simply unacceptable. Comprehensive immigration reform holds the key.
What are the benefits of immigration reform?
-It is a common sense proposal that is fair, balanced, and practical.
-It would secure the border and crack down on employers that illegally hire the undocumented.
-It would secure the future flow of immigrants.
-It would require illegal immigrants to register for legal immigration status, pay back taxes, and learn English to be eligible for citizenship.
-It would restore order and control the flow of immigrants.
-The Congressional budget office estimates it would add $66 billion in revenue over ten (10) years in requiring more employers and more workers pay their fair share in taxes.
-It would add, over the next fifty (50) years, $407 billion to the struggling Social Security system.
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"and learn English to be eligible for citizenship." The United States of America has never adopted English as it's official language and to be honest, I know quite a few US citizens whose L1 is English and have never been exposed to another language and who cannot (today) pass a basic English fluency exam (ACCESS for ELLs). I mostly agree with the rest but I don't see the rationale for requiring immigrants to learn English when our own population struggles with it.
ReplyDeleteKevin Brown
Yes, I agree trente quatre. I have a few points of contention with this op-ed piece. I don't believe mastery of English has anything to do with one's desire for citizenship (especially citizenship to a country with NO official language). I also disagree with her assessment that most undocumented immigrants (not "ILLEGAL" immigrants, I will come back to that in a minute) do not pay taxes, as of now...most workers I know use a false social security number...which means taxes ARE being deducted from their checks, but when it is time to claim taxes, that money is staying in OUR coffers and not being refunded as it is to most in a similar income earning bracket. Now, back to the "Illegal Immigrant" phrase. This one irks me, because an immigrant is a person, and a "person" cannot be illegal...a "person" can commit a crime or do something illegal...but the person themselves and, furthermore, their "existence" is NOT "illegal." Those are my addendums to her opinion.
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