With their prospects in Congress sinking along with the economy, liberal advocates of giving undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship are launching a risky strategy to push lawmakers and the White House to take up their cause.
They are devising a proposal in which millions of undocumented workers would be legalized now, while the number of foreign workers allowed to enter the country would be examined by a new independent commission, and probably reduced.
...
Ana Avendaño, the AFL-CIO's point person on the issue, said the labor federation believes the Democrats' enhanced power in Washington represents a "sea change" in which liberal groups can forge ahead without working with Republican-leaning business lobbyists.
source
The thing that is expressly missing here is any mention of enforcement. The LA Times article does imply that there would be some sort of fine, but what about deportation of felons, workplace enforcement etc. If the AFL-CIO is writing this bill it's doubtful those items will be contained in it.
Let me once again offer the Chad 5 point plan for immigration reform:
1. Secure The Border
2. Workplace Enforcement
3. Deport The Criminals
4. Legalization
5. Assimilation (Including English as the official language)
As I pointed out back in October 2007 it has been shown that this plan can basically work:
Most illegals from Mexico come to the US to fill low wage jobs that aren't being filled by US workers (I readily admit that not all the jobs are low wage but most are paid at a wage that makes Americans unwilling to take them). They do so in order to support a family in Mexico. When the illegals come here and work in the underground economy they artificially depress wages and this perpetuates the cycle. If we make it too expensive for new illegals to cross the border while combining that with measures that push wages up to a natural equilibrium point the economic situation will tend to stem the tide. Those who are here already will either assimilate or return to their country of origin. The invisible hand that Adam Smith talks about pokes a finger in and resolves the situation.
I have been one of the very few among the circle of bloggers that I read / try to interact with that has taken this point of view, but today's New York Times offers a little vindication:EL RODEO, Mexico — For years, millions of Mexican migrants working in the United States have sent money back home to villages like this one, money that allows families to pay medical bills and school fees, build houses and buy clothes or, if they save enough, maybe start a tiny business.
But after years of strong increases, the amount of migrant money flowing to Mexico has stagnated. From 2000 to 2006, remittances grew to nearly $24 billion a year from $6.6 billion, rising more than 20 percent some years. In 2007, the increase so far has been less than 2 percent.
Reasons given?
1. Stronger Border Enforcement
2. Stronger Workplace Enforcement
3. Slowing US economy
4. Assimilation
Immigration reform isn't a high priority right now, but that's why we have to be vigilant - To prevent groups like the AFL-CIO from sneaking something crappy past us.
Update: I swear to Christ the fastest way for an issue to lose importance is for me to blog about it. I sent links to the LA Times article to a number of largish blogs which were strenuously anti-immmigration reform when John McCain was pushing it and not one has mentioned it. Not even the Malkinistas over at Hot Air are talking about this. WTF is going on?
Immigration
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