The Bush-Kennedy deal on immigration is the most complicated, sweeping change in immigration law in a generation. It needs bipartisan support to pass, and unfortunately it has that support in the Senate. Many Republican senators who opposed amnesty last year are now backing it. They believe that President Bush is willing to sign any immigration bill a Democratic Congress produces, and have decided to limit the damage. Although well-intentioned members of the GOP’s “if you can’t beat them, join them” caucus tried mightily to produce a compromise worthy of conservative support, their efforts have failed. When the final text of the Bush-Kennedy immigration proposal becomes available, it should be shelved in the children’s book department at Borders along with other fairy tales.
The plan bestows amnesty now and promises enforcement later. Having lived through the 1986 amnesty and seen its enforcement promises go unfulfilled, we’re old enough to know better. This time, enforcement “triggers” that beef up border security and workplace enforcement would supposedly have to be met before the legalization or guest-worker programs could take effect. But as soon as the bill is signed, nearly every one of the 12 million illegal aliens in the country qualifies for legal probationary status. If the promised enforcement measures are not realized, will such legal status be revoked? Only in Never-Never Land.
The plan tries to avoid the impression that it rewards illegal immigrants for law-breaking by requiring that they pay a $5,000 fine before they are awarded their new visas. But it’s easy to predict how this will play out: After the inevitable media reports about hardships the fine imposes on illegals, it will be promptly waived.
The plan purports to end the current chain-migration policy, under which extended family members enjoy priority among the untold millions seeking green cards. But first the 3.5 million families who have already applied for green cards must be accommodated. Several hundred thousand green cards will be issued each year, for a period of roughly eight years, to clear this backlog. Then, in 2015, during Hillary Clinton’s second term, the former MALDEF activists running the immigration service will begin awarding green cards based on education and skill levels (sure they will).In addition to granting immediate legal status to 12 million illegal aliens, the Bush-Kennedy plan provides for 400,000 temporary workers a year. They are permitted to stay two years, and must return home for a year before reapplying for another temporary stint. In the imaginary world of the plan’s supporters, they will be summarily rounded up and swiftly deported if they overstay their visas — even if, while they are here, they have children, who will be citizens at birth.
The Bush-Kennedy plan is a fatally flawed proposal, and it can be expected to get worse. Majority leader Harry Reid has “serious concerns” about both the temporary-worker program—that is, about the fact that it is at least notionally temporary—and the undue limitations on family immigration.” Speaker Pelosi says the plan merely “starts the process” and “must be improved in the Senate.”
The Bush administration hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to enforcing our current immigration laws. Ted Kennedy, who is largely responsible for the chaotic status quo, has been making empty promises and wildly inaccurate predictions about the effects of immigration reforms for over 40 years. The determination to make a deal shouldn’t cause conservatives in Congress to abandon their own principles and common sense. Only in fairy tales are happy endings assured.
