Few issues cause more passion than the subject of immigration and the U.S. Senate is right in the middle of debating this issue.

		Steyn: The Superbower Blase: A Medicaid Buy-Off Sanders: Blanche Lincoln’s Balancing Act Costa: Saturday Night Fever Miller: The Man Who Would Kill Lincoln Hibbs: Just Bite Her Already Goldberg: We Need Your Help Spruiell: Welcome to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy Editors: End It, Don’t Amend It Goldberg: Palinophobes Hate First, Ask Questions Later Murdock: Medicare: A Glimpse of the Future? Krauthammer: Travesty in New York Charen: Holder’s True Motive Lowry: Barack Obama’s Chump Diplomacy Spakovsky: Criminalizing Health-Care Freedom Anderson: Roadmap to Victory

Unfortunately the proposal the U.S. Senate is considering was cooked up by a small group of senators negotiating with the White House. It’s being sold as a “great compromise.” But it is not that at all.

I don’t support this immigration bill. I’ll explain why.

The first responsibility we have is to provide real border security so we don’t have massive illegal immigration coming across our borders. With the estimated 12 million people who have already entered our country illegally, it’s clear we’re not yet doing that.

One would think the first order of business for any new immigration bill would to get serious about securing our borders. That’s not the case with this bill, at least not in any meaningful way.

This bill’s solution is to simply give the 12 million people who came here illegally — up through December 31 of last year — legal status and a work card. In addition, it provides for a temporary worker program that will bring in additional millions of guest workers who don’t now live in this country, but who will be permitted to come here and assume American jobs.

This bill will flood the U.S. job market with millions of workers who will compete, at low wages, for jobs Americans are now doing. I believe it will drive down American wages and living standards.

Simply put, this bill fails to stand up for hardworking American citizens.

America is a great country. Many people from throughout the world would like to come here and take part in the American Dream. I understand that.

But, if we had no restrictions on immigration and just threw open the doors and welcomed everyone from everywhere we’d be over run by people wanting to move to the United States.

So, we try to manage immigration through quotas. Nearly a million and a half people come to our country legally every year through this process. In addition, another one million people plus come here each year to work legally at agricultural jobs.

Now, I’m sensitive to the fact that some immigrants who have come here illegally have worked hard for decades and even raised their families here. We need to take that into account as we try to resolve their status.

But I don’t think we should decide that anybody who showed up here illegally as of last December 31 should be given a green light to stay here and work here permanently.


CONTINUED    1    2  Next >