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Finding Common Ground on Immigration
I spent an interesting lunch today hearing Sen. Curtis Bramble speak to the Provo Rotary about immigration reform. There are a lot of divisive aspects to this issue, but there are some things that we might be able to find common ground on. Here are a few:
- We’ve got a problem
- We’re not willing to break up families
- Our de facto immigration policy is different that the law
- We need a comprehensive solution, not a band-aid
The first point is pretty clear from the attention that this is getting. Illegal immigration is taxing city, state, federal and private services.
The second point is one that doesn’t get enough attention. Many illegal immigrants have children in the US. They are US Citizens. Is our country willing to deport parents without the children and split up families? Or are we willing to deport US Citizens because their parents are illegal?
The third point is all about how we got into this mess. We have laws on the books that are either unenforceable, or at least unenforceable at current levels of funding. The bureaucracy is stunningly overwhelming. We have a policy of amnesty right now, whether we like it or not. Somehow we must bring our laws and our policy into alignment.
The final point is a critical one. We have to solve multiple problems all at once. The answer isn’t a simple “put up bigger fences” because that deals only with the supply side while ignoring the demand side. And let’s be clear, the demand isn’t just from people who want to come to America, it’s from American business as well, who wants to hire them.
Beyond these four things, there’s lots of room for disagreement, but I think that most reasonable people can agree on these. There are no easy answers and real solutions could be expensive. What’s more, the answer probably requires legislators who will act like statesmen (is “statespeople” a word?) rather than politicians.
This is a fair issue to bring up with anyone running for office. There are a lot of people talking a good game now, but where were they 2, 3 or 5 years ago? Ask them about that too. I’ll give people (like Cannon) credit for recognizing the problem and trying to do something about it, even if I don’t necessarily agree with every idea they’ve ever had. Candidates who haven’t had elected office in the past get a bye, but they’d better have a plan that makes sense.
Posted by windley on April 13, 2006 04:13 PM
