Posted By James Besser
Immigration Reform Retreat: Why Jews Should Care / Lisa Shuger Hubliz, Washington director, The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
With the collapse of comprehensive immigration reform in Congress in June of this year, not only have the prospects for a reasonable and humane fix any time soon to our broken immigration system decreased considerably, but it appears that an all-out assault on immigrants, reminiscent of backlashes we’ve seen in the past, especially against Jews after the creation of national origin quotas in the 1920s.
As a people historically all too familiar with outsider status, and based on our religious and ethical teachings and values, there is a clear and firm foundation for Jewish involvement in the current immigration debate. Jews have long understood what it means to come to a country in search of freedom, opportunity, and to be with family members. Like our grandparents and great-grandparents who benefited from these opportunities and along the way made this country better – economically, politically, culturally, and in many other ways – today’s immigrants want these same opportunities for themselves and their families. They want to contribute to their new homeland and become full participants in American society and should not be denied that same opportunity.
In spite of its support to get a comprehensive immigration reform bill across the finish line, the Bush Administration recently released a 26-point plan containing enforcement-only measures that unfairly and unreasonably hampers the lives of undocumented immigrants who are only here to work hard and make important and necessary contributions to this country. Shortly after the release of this plan, the draconian enforcement-only Sensenbrenner bill of 2005 was reincarnated by Senators Kyl (R-AZ), Sessions (R-AL), McCain (R-AZ), and Graham (R-SC). Senators Specter (R-PA) and Martinez (R-FL) are also cosponsors of this legislation. This bill would supercharge immigration arrests, raids, and detention, all while rolling back legal protections and due process for immigrants, and include a provision that would make it a criminal offense to be out of immigration status.
While it is not surprising that some in Congress would continue their pursuit of legislation that focuses entirely on enforcement measures, it is extremely curious and downright disturbing that the Administration and Senators McCain, Graham, Kyl, and Specter, who were ardent supporters of the Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill, would turn their backs on immigrants and a comprehensive approach.
It seems they have opted to secure political points rather than to secure our borders, adopting an enforcement-only strategy that ignores an entire population of undocumented immigrants already here in this country. Abandoning efforts that would provide hard-working immigrants the opportunity to get on the right side of the law combined with tough enforcement policy does nothing to bolster our national security and stem the tide of illegal immigration.
For the past several years, HIAS has consistently urged Congress and the Administration to enact legislation that does both by: offering a path to citizenship to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows; creating wider legal channels for future workers and worker protections; reuniting families; and including enforcement and border security measures that are tough, effective, and humane.
To abandon this effort and move so far in the wrong direction creates more systemic dysfunction and anti-immigrant backlash, neither of which we, as a nation, can afford to do. Only by channeling the current undocumented flow into a legal and orderly system that is secure and protects human and civil rights at the same time will we truly be able to secure our borders and more easily distinguish between those who mean to do us harm and those who only seek to work or reunite with family. Rejecting a compassionate approach in favor of one that is harsh and unrealistic is simply not a solution.
We agree that our borders must be secure. However, the only way to stop illegal immigration is to develop a national policy that is truly comprehensive and will effectively fix our broken immigration system.
Yes but...
11/21/07 @ 03:49 PM | Posted By J. Paul Schilling, Esq.As a whole I agree with your premise. However, just like the alleged "Comprehensive Immigration Package" that went down in flames this past June 2007, I believe that the individual immigrant has layed assualt on America.
By this I mean in two-fold: one, the Matter of Law has been disregarded by far too many for far too long; in addition I am not only addressing immigrants. Oh contraire! By far the more guilty party in all of this is of course America's legislative leaders who have failed again, and again NOT to do anything.
I do take initiative with your submissiom insofar as I completely disagree with the notion of "creating legal channels" for the immigrants already here in the United States. No one has ever asked me if my civil liberities, or human rights have been violated because of people who have no respect for the laws that govern our Nation. Quite frankly this irritates me.
I do not feel that it is a Nation's job or the citizens thereof, to further accommodate people who have knowingly and willfully broke the law for their own benefits. If parents get separated from their children whilst committing an illegal act, how is that anyone's problem but their very own?
Moreover, as I examine the ways in which our Nation treats the parents of our citizen's children, it appalls me all the more to see this sympathetic approach to illegals. Consider Britney Spears for example: Because of a court's legel intervention, this person must submit to random urinanalysis for alcohol and drug abuse; moreover, with photographers everywhere, how can the girl get from point A to point B without some interim license?
Far be it from me but one would be hard pressed to find the same and or equal conditions under the current immigration laws in place now. Thank you very much.