Amnesty In The USA/Take Me Down To Sanctuary City

I've been meaning to link this bullet-point bullet-riddling of the amnesty bill: Comprehensively Bad.
Among the other problems already covered here (one-day instant no-background-check guaranteed visa, no back taxes, no actual "enforcement triggers," "enforcement triggers" themselves depend simply on how many people are hired or how many UAV's bought, not actual verifiable results in deterring and deporting new illegal immigrants, $2.5 trillion in new social spending costs, etc.), here's a couple more:

Weak employer verification: This is not the long-promised “tamper proof” identity for employment. No serious fingerprint digital system is required, massive fraud will continue.

No exit system for guest workers: The guest workers are supposed to be “temporary” and required to eventually leave. But there is no way to enforce their leaving because there is still no Entry-Exit system in place.

Trust criminal gang members: As former Ashcroft deputy Kris Kobach notes there are more than 30,000 illegal immigrant gang members “trafficking in drugs, arms, and people.” They get a Z (amnesty) Visa if they simply sign a “renunciation of gang affiliation.” I guess the Senate-administration “negotiators” trust these M-13 guys.

“Section 136: Nothing in this section may be construed to provide additional authority to any State or local entity to enforce Federal immigration laws.” Why not? The illegal aliens who were part of the Fort Dix terrorist conspiracy were stopped by local law enforcement 56 times but their immigration status was never checked. This bill does nothing to ensure cooperation between local and federal officials in combating terrorism.

No real merit or skills-based (point) system instead current extended family chain migration is accelerated: The chain migration of extended family members will continue and be greatly expanded for the next eight years and only then would a skills-based merit (points) system supposedly go into effect. That is, if you really believe that after eight years a skills system would be adopted against strong business and liberal opposition.

So:

No end to chain migration, at least not for eight years, and you're high if you think that won't be written out of the law before then.

No end to the sanctuary city loophole.

No additional internal enforcement.

No external enforcement/deterrent (i.e., a wall).

No expedited deportation process for future illegals.

Etc.

In short, absolutely no actual reform on the enforcement side. At most, cosmetic changes designed to sound tough to the chumps and saps they're hoping you are.

This is not a grand bargain. It's not a compromise. It's a total capitualtion to the open-borders agitators with not a lick of additional enforcement and not a single concession to those who would like to actually curtail future illegal immigration.

Allah digests and links other articles in NRO's "full court press" against this "piece of shit" bill. The second quoted passage -- about the phony claim that family-based chain immigration will end -- is the killer.

Captain Ed has a post about important amendments being offered by Senators Coleman and Cornyn:

In an effort to strengthen national security, Senator Norm Coleman yesterday introduced an amendment to the Immigration bill to make sure local law enforcement officials are able to communicate with federal law enforcement agencies regarding suspected immigration violations. Currently, a number of cities throughout the nation are using a loophole to get around Sec. 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 by instituting ordinances forbidding local law enforcement to even ask the question as to whether a person is in the U.S. lawfully, thereby evading their legal responsibility to report their suspicions to the federal government.

“In a post 9-11 world, it is simply unacceptable for communities to ignore federal laws requiring them to share this type of information with federal authorities. This is not a matter of making state and local governments enforce federal immigration laws, it is simply a matter of closing this loophole that certain cities have created,” said Coleman. “This defies common sense, as the rule of law must apply to both legal and illegal residents. Moreover, we know how crucial it is to connect the dots in order to avert another terrorist attack in this country. The consequences of prohibiting information sharing are too great. To close this loophole, I have introduced an amendment that will ensure the lines of communication are open between local and federal law enforcement officials.”

Inspired by the Dix Six terror gang, by the way-- as local police had had multiple run-ins with them but never bothered checking their immigration status.

Hard to argue with, eh?

Count on a lot of liberals arguing with it. If this amendment passes, the liberals cannot vote for the bill. And yet if the liberals reject it, I don't see how conservatives can afford to not filibuster it.

And Cornyn's amendment:

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship subcommittee, on Wednesday introduced an amendment to the immigration bill to close a gaping loophole in the bill that will ensure the following individuals are either permanently barred from the United States or prohibited from getting any immigration benefit: members of terrorist-related organizations, known gang members, sex offenders, alien smugglers who use firearms and felony drunk drivers.

“The question I put to my colleagues is this: Should Congress permanently bar from the U.S. and from receiving any immigration benefit: suspected terrorists, gang members, sex offenders, felony drunk drivers, and other individuals who are a danger to society?,” Sen. Cornyn said. “I hope that every Senator would answer this question with a positive response."

Captain Ed thinks this will pass, because how can anyone argue with it?

Let me ask you:

Why the hell do such measures have to be offered as amendments? Did the scary-genius crafters of this Grand Compromise not consider ending sanctuary cities if they were really committed to a new tough policy on immigration enforcement, or not bother to rule out granting visas to dangerous criminals, gang members, sex offenders and terrorists?

If they didn't bother with this stuff, who knows what else is missing from this bill?

I have to say I hope these amendments don't pass. Because improving a piece of shit still leaves it, basically, a piece of shit. The worse the bill is -- and dear Martha, it is bad -- the more likely Republican Senators will do their jobs and filibuster it to death.

But improving it marginally around the corners will increase the likelihood it passes. And that's unacceptable to me.

It's not that I oppose a grand compromise in principle. I don't. It's that I demand that I do in fact receive my part of the compromise -- enforcement.

Meaning an end to, or at least a severe reduction in, further illegal immigration, and tough, serious, systematic enforcement of all the current laws on the books. Amnesty one more time -- and never again.

It's quite obvious that the President is unwilling commit to this. So are the majority of the our elected leaders. So I simply cannot trust them.

They continue attempting to swindle and double-talk their way towards the passage of this bill, offering bullshit "enforcement provisions" that we soon find out have loopholes you coud march Santa Ana's army through, or which may sound reasonable on paper, but mean nothing at all if the executive is not committed to actually following its own law.

Remember, Michael Chertoff has already openly enthused about the fact that he will no longer need be bothered with enforcing immigration laws. Given the flood of illegal immigrants which will inevitably follow this give-away-the-store amnesty, we need DHS bracing for additional dilligence in pursuing and deporting illegal aliens, not salivating at the prospect at never being troubled by this trifle of an issue again.

posted by Ace at 01:33 PM

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