Immigration Reform Is Full of Favors

Now we know why the Gang of Ocho conducted most of their “immigration reform” talks in secret: they wanted plenty of time to hide special favors in the 844-page bill before the public had time to learn about the loopholes. This is one of the main reasons my father always wanted “clean” bills when he was president.

A bill that is focused on a single problem or issue is less complicated, easier to follow and simple for the public to understand. The “immigration reform” as it currently stands is none of this and it is no doubt why the senators want the bill on a fast track or vía rápida.

 

The more time voters have to examine the bill, the more objections will surface. The Wall Street Journal found both Democrats and Republicans are guilty of business as usual in the Senate.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wants more visas for the meat industry; Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., wants more Irish workers; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wants help for the cruise ship industry; and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., found a way to help the ski industry, although personally I don’t know if the Senate can force the weather to cooperate.

Each of these provisions will contribute toward lowering the unemployment rate in Ireland, Central America, and Europe, but it will do nothing for the U.S. unemployment rate, which just happens to be where these men are senators.

Many of the jobs that will be filled by foreign workers are entry-level positions that could serve as a step up the ladder of success for the unemployed. Others are highly skilled positions that could be filled by our own laid-off workers, rather than foreign labor trying to escape the sweat shops in their own land.

Among the entry level slots are 20,000 visas for meat trimmers, 10,500 for Irish workers with only a high school education, and visas for immigrants to help with disaster recovery (Americans won’t hand out coffee, it seems). The skilled visas are even worse. Rubio wants to allow engineers and repairmen to overhaul cruise ships. Then there are the slots for foreign electricians and imported ski instructors, because no one in the United States wants to ski.

Unemployment is currently 7.6 percent overall and black unemployment levels are almost double that figure. The situation is so bad that 90,000,000 Americans have completely given up looking for work. Instead they turn to government handouts or disability payments. These are the men and women the Senate should put at the top of their priority list.

A better solution would be two clean bills: One that beefs up border and visa enforcement, making the borders secure BEFORE we discuss “a path to citizenship.” And a second bill that addresses unemployment by allowing workers to once again enter the workforce without losing all their unemployment benefits, so that a motivated worker is not penalized for trying to help himself become independent again.

These senators are putting their desire to hand out special favors above their duty to the citizens who are already here and that does not deserve a fast track or any track for that matter.