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Immigration Basics | The ABC's of U.S. Immigration | The Real Solution | Family-Sponsored Immigration | Employment-Based Immigration | Naturalization THE REAL SOLUTION FOR OUR SECURITY AND FREEDOM Comprehensive immigration reform is essential to securing our borders, protecting our national security and making sure that America remains a beacon of freedom. Security experts tell us that the current situation has spun out of control and has left our nation less safe and less secure. And it is no wonder: with illegal immigration comes human smugglers, fake document sellers, and other criminal elements who exploit the millions of unauthorized immigrants living and working in the shadows—is the worst possible security policy. We cannot continue to do nothing, or fool ourselves into thinking we can deport our way out of the problem. We need to enact an air-tight earned legalization program, along with the enforcement and visa reforms needed to make sure we are protecting the rights of individuals while keeping our country safe. We need real reform, and real solutions, to secure our borders.
We Need More Than Just Enforcement DID YOU KNOW? Over the last 20 years, border enforcement has ballooned
The border buildup has failed: Undocumented immigration has skyrocketed
Enforcement policies have backfired: We are spending more and succeeding less in controlling the border
Protecting the Rights of Individuals DID YOU KNOW?
Focusing on Those Who Mean Us Harm When people are admitted legally, their identities, photos, and fingerprints are checked against watch lists and criminal databases. Potential security threats can be more easily indentified and either apprehended or deterred from entering the U.S. The key is intelligence—we must do a better job at gaining the intelligence we need to detect those who would do us harm. President Bush: “As we improve and expand our efforts to secure our borders, we must also recognize that enforcement cannot work unless it's part of a comprehensive immigration reform that includes a temporary worker program. If an employer has a job that no American is willing to take, we need to find a way to fill that demand by matching willing employers with willing workers from foreign countries on a temporary and legal basis.” (President Bush’s Radio Address on Homeland Security, October 22, 2005) Secretary Michael Chertoff: “… [F]or a Secure Border Initiative to be fully effective, Congress will need to change our immigration laws to address the simple laws of supply and demand that fuel most illegal migration and find mechanisms to bring legal workers into a regulated, legal Temporary Worker Program, while still preserving national security.” (Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at the Houston Forum, November 2, 2005) Secretary Michael Chertoff: “The effectiveness of our border security and interior enforcement is closely tied to establishing a workable and enforceable Temporary Worker Program. A well-designed Temporary Worker Program will provide legal channels for U.S. employers and foreign born workers to match needs in the best interest of the U.S. economy without disadvantaging American workers.” (Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff’s Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, October 18, 2005) Princeton Professor Douglas S. Massey: “The attempt to stop the flow of Mexican labor into the United States through unilateral enforcement has not only failed miserably, it has backfired. It has not deterred would-be immigrants from entering the United States nor has it reduced the size of the annual inflow. What it HAS done is channel migratory flows away from traditional crossing points to remote zones where the physical risks are great but the likelihood of getting caught is small. As a result, the number of deaths has skyrocketed to a record 460 persons per year while the probability of apprehension has fallen to forty year low. We are spending more tax dollars to catch fewer migrants and cause more deaths.” (Douglas S. Massey, Ph.D Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, October 18, 2005) Conservative activist Stuart Anderson: “Conservatives should not abandon belief in markets simply because the issue is immigration. Those who say we should not permit more people to work on legal temporary visas until we "control the border" have it backward: The only proven way to control the border is to open up paths to legal entry, allowing the market to succeed where law enforcement alone has failed.” (Stuart Anderson, Executive Director of the National Foundation for American Policy, Letter to the Washington Times, Market forces dictate the best immigration policy, October 26, 2005) Conservative activist Tamar Jacoby: “In the wake of 9/11, it goes without saying: We need to find a way to enforce our immigration laws. But tempting as it is to talk tough and make a show of throwing money at the problem, we can't get the control we need just by cracking down — and any politician who promises we can isn't serious about solving the problem.” (Tamar Jacoby, Los Angeles Times, Op-Ed, “A Law That Means Business,” July 12, 2005) NCLR President Janet Murguia: “Congressional leaders face a choice: We can beef up failed enforcement strategies for the umpteenth time, or we can do the hard work of passing comprehensive reforms that stand a chance of making a difference. Surely a nation of laws which is also a nation of immigrants can strike the right balance.” (Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, Op-Ed, October 26, 2005) |