Chicago Tribune Editorial - Border bashing
Chicago Tribune Editorial - Border bashing
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Published September 27, 2006
Determined to show that, yes, they can get something done about immigration reform, House Republicans spit out a series of border enforcement bills last week and dared the Senate to kill them.
The measures range from the merely inoffensive (making it illegal to tunnel into the country) to the truly ineffective (erecting a 700-mile fence along the 2,000-mile Mexican border). Most of them were quickly swatted down, but they served their purpose: When Congress adjourns on Friday, House members can go back to their districts boasting about how hard they're working to fix the immigration system.
But they're not fixing the immigration system. House Republicans decided in June that they're better off if the system stays broken, at least until after the election.
Exploiting the problem gets them a lot more points than solving it. So they spent the summer conducting "field hearings" instead of tackling the much harder job of reconciling their own get-tough bill with the more holistic measure passed by the Senate and favored by President Bush.
The hearings, held mostly in swing congressional districts, were blatant campaign events with comical titles including "Whether Attempted Implementation of the Senate Immigration Bill Will Result in an Administrative and National Security Nightmare" and "Should We Embrace the Senate's Grant of Amnesty to Millions of Illegal Aliens and Repeat the Mistakes of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986?"
House members returned to Washington even less inclined toward compromise. They have plucked apart their original bill and tried to force-feed it to the Senate in pieces.
Many of the bits and pieces are already included in the Senate's bill, but they need to be balanced by measures that address the country's dependence on immigrant labor. Take that $2 billion border fence. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has no confidence it would stop immigrants from crossing into her state illegally in search of jobs. "Show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder," she has said.
The Senate's comprehensive plan is rooted in reality. It would open channels through which enough workers could arrive legally, and it would offer a way for many of the 12 million who are already here to stay.
The House is having none of that, at least until after the election. Immigrant bashing is so much easier than immigration reform.
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Published September 27, 2006
Determined to show that, yes, they can get something done about immigration reform, House Republicans spit out a series of border enforcement bills last week and dared the Senate to kill them.
The measures range from the merely inoffensive (making it illegal to tunnel into the country) to the truly ineffective (erecting a 700-mile fence along the 2,000-mile Mexican border). Most of them were quickly swatted down, but they served their purpose: When Congress adjourns on Friday, House members can go back to their districts boasting about how hard they're working to fix the immigration system.
But they're not fixing the immigration system. House Republicans decided in June that they're better off if the system stays broken, at least until after the election.
Exploiting the problem gets them a lot more points than solving it. So they spent the summer conducting "field hearings" instead of tackling the much harder job of reconciling their own get-tough bill with the more holistic measure passed by the Senate and favored by President Bush.
The hearings, held mostly in swing congressional districts, were blatant campaign events with comical titles including "Whether Attempted Implementation of the Senate Immigration Bill Will Result in an Administrative and National Security Nightmare" and "Should We Embrace the Senate's Grant of Amnesty to Millions of Illegal Aliens and Repeat the Mistakes of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986?"
House members returned to Washington even less inclined toward compromise. They have plucked apart their original bill and tried to force-feed it to the Senate in pieces.
Many of the bits and pieces are already included in the Senate's bill, but they need to be balanced by measures that address the country's dependence on immigrant labor. Take that $2 billion border fence. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has no confidence it would stop immigrants from crossing into her state illegally in search of jobs. "Show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder," she has said.
The Senate's comprehensive plan is rooted in reality. It would open channels through which enough workers could arrive legally, and it would offer a way for many of the 12 million who are already here to stay.
The House is having none of that, at least until after the election. Immigrant bashing is so much easier than immigration reform.
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 9:30 AM
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