Amnesty wasn’t problem; enforcement was

Apparently tired of seeing the 1986 amnesty for illegal aliens piled on by politicians and media, former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese discussed its intent and failings in a commentary in The New York Times, noting that at least Ronald Reagan called it what it is and would be today: amnesty. Meese touted the high-tech enforcement methods available today, and concluded: "President Bush and Congress would do better to start with securing the border and strengthening enforcement of existing immigration laws."
Posted by Rhonda Holman

11 Comments

  1. heartlander
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 12:53 am | Permalink

    We can secure our southern border. We can apply technology ranging from drone surveillance aircraft to ground-vibration sensors, and/or put 50,000 people on duty manning the border every 200 feet.

    We can set high penalties against illegal employers, and offer $5000 rewards to Americans who report illegal employment.

    We can send several million illegal immigrants back to their home nations, including Ireland and China and Thailand, in addition to Latin America.

    But, if we do these things, we are going to have to deal with the fact that America doesn’t produce enough able-bodied workers to sustain our economy. Our “native” population is graying, as is the case in all developed nations.

    There are millions of middle-class women who hire illegal housekeeper/cook/nannies, without whom, their homes would either be a mess, and their kids would have to eat microwaveable meals, or else the moms would have to give up their jobs, and reduce America’s productivity and tax base.

    Simplistic “solutions” will bear costly “unintended consequences”. This doesn’t mean the consequences will be insurmountable, but they have to be considered. Whether we allow the current immigrants to stay, or deport them, we will be conducting a major social experiment.

  2. Ed Friedemann
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 4:56 am | Permalink

    HL

    Bush thinks immigration is the highest form of flattery.

  3. Joe Williams
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 5:30 am | Permalink

    There are politicans who want and open and porous border with Mexico and who want amnesty and fast track citizenship to all those who want to come to the USA, illegal or not.

  4. Ed Friedemann
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 5:58 am | Permalink

    Joe

    I hate to see land get all scared-up.

    It seems we’re always willing to deal with the symptoms of a problem rather than tackle its cause.

    There are things we could be doing which would make Mexicans want to stay in Mexico.

    A guy named Jose’ serves my wife and me in a reasturant and he talks about going home to his village in central Mexico.

    But there are no jobs there.

  5. Ed Friedemann
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 6:44 am | Permalink

    Israeli advice on the Mexico fence: be ruthless

    { The hint here is to be as disgustingly brutal as the Jews have been to the Palestinians, and the Iraqis by proxy and direction }.

    http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=719046&contrassID=25&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=1&listSrc=Y&art=1

  6. Deeya Pohlman
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 11:00 am | Permalink

    I agree be ruthless;but if they want to be here so bad see if they are willing to fight for it. Make all illegals entering the country thru guest worker or or otherwise if they are 18 or older sign up for the armed forces. See how bad they want to be here then. They will have to risk dying for our country.

  7. heartlander
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 1:00 pm | Permalink

    DP, some illegal Latino immigrants are doing what you suggest. (And a substantial percentage of our fighting forces are first-generation-born-in-America Latinos.) It’s a reasonable proposal, at least if the wars that they are called to fight are just and based on openly-honest reasons, not concealed-from-the-public hidden agendas. Absent war, they are doing public service projecting American power across the globe.

    A PBS show last night served a reminder: before the U.S. made border-crossing hard, most undocumented Mexicans actually worked here seasonally, went home for the winter, crossed again to do work, went home again…But as they found it increasingly difficult to get across the border, they decided to bring their families here, to avoid the risks and costs (paying “coyotes” $1000+) of annual border crossings.

    In the 1960’s and early ’70’s I worked with legal Green Card seasonal workers for several years. They loved making money here working in the produce industry, and going back to Mexico to build their own homes, something that was impossible if they stayed in Mexico.

  8. J M Walker
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 7:19 pm | Permalink

    hl, your last paragraph states the crux of the problem: Mexicans coming over and then building back in Mexico because they can’t earn the money there. We`are supporting the Mexican economy and getting nada in return. The Mexicans are not supporting the tax base of the country that is providing jobs, schools and health care to them. We`are in a no-win situation on this one. Congress is blowing the chance to straighten this problem out. But what can one expect from the gutless wonders occupying Washington now?

  9. Ian Santiago
    Posted May 30, 2006 at 11:33 pm | Permalink

    Illegals have no right ot serve in our military. All filthy illegals need to be deported using as much force as is required!

    The following is a list of the traitor scum that voted to award amnesty to the invaders. Do with this information what you will. :)
    Don’t get fooled by some of these pompous phonies. Don’t picture them in their expensive suits, but in their underwear covered with rotting fruit and vegetables (picked by American citizens, of course).

    Akaka (D-HI)Baucus (D-MT)Bayh (D-IN)Bennett (R-UT)Biden (D-DE)Bingaman (D-NM)Boxer (D-CA)Brownback (R-KS)Cantwell (D-WA)Carper (D-DE)Chafee (R-RI)Clinton (D-NY)Coleman (R-MN)Collins (R-ME)Conrad (D-ND)Craig (R-ID)Dayton (D-MN)DeWine (R-OH)Dodd (D-CT)Domenici (R-NM)Durbin (D-IL)Feingold (D-WI)Feinstein (D-CA)Frist (R-TN)Graham (R-SC)Gregg (R-NH)Hagel (R-NE)Harkin (D-IA)Inouye (D-HI)Jeffords (I-VT)Johnson (D-SD)Kennedy (D-MA)Kerry (D-MA)Kohl (D-WI)Landrieu (D-LA)Lautenberg (D-NJ)Leahy (D-VT)Levin (D-MI)Lieberman (D-CT)Lincoln (D-AR)Lugar (R-IN)Martinez (R-FL)McCain (R-AZ)McConnell (R-KY)Menendez (D-NJ)Mikulski (D-MD)Murkowski (R-AK)Murray (D-WA)Nelson (D-FL)Obama (D-IL)Pryor (D-AR)Reed (D-RI)Reid (D-NV)Sarbanes (D-MD)Schumer (D-NY)Smith (R-OR)Snowe (R-ME)Specter (R-PA)Stevens (R-AK)Voinovich (R-OH)Warner (R-VA)Wyden (D-OR)

    Viva La Raza Blanco!!!Viva La Revolucion Blanco!!!!Deprtacion Total!!!!!

  10. raptor
    Posted May 31, 2006 at 7:40 am | Permalink

    Theodore Roosevelt, 1907:

    Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the Ame rican flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

  11. Ben Dover
    Posted May 31, 2006 at 9:34 am | Permalink

    7 step program for Illegals

    No welfare for illegal aliens

    No health care for illegal aliens

    No financial assistance for illegal aliens

    No education for illegal aliens

    No beneficial programs at all for any illegal aliens

    Massive fines/penalties for companies found to be employing illegal aliens, upon repeat offense the head of the companies should be sent to prison

    Change the law that makes anyone born in the US instantly a citizen, if you’re born here and you’re parents are illegal aliends then you are an illegal alien

    If these changes were enacted and enforced properly most of the illegal aliens would leave on their own. The ones that don’t leave voluntarily can be deported including all illegal aliens currently locked up in our jails and prisons.