Throwing out the “R” word is simply a way to attempt to shut down debate
(Buzzfeed) For more than a year House Republican leaders have insisted the chamber would act on new immigration laws. And for more than a year, Republicans have done virtually nothing on the issue — despite intense pressure from activists, business groups, and the nation’s changing demographics.
As noted, most American’s find fixing immigration to be second to last on a list of priorities.
And although there are a variety of reasons for inaction, one Republican lawmaker recently offered a frank acknowledgement that for many House Republicans, there’s one issue at play that’s not often discussed: race.
“Part of it, I think — and I hate to say this, because these are my people — but I hate to say it, but it’s racial,†said the Southern Republican lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “If you go to town halls people say things like, ‘These people have different cultural customs than we do.’ And that’s code for race.â€
If this Republican doesn’t have the cajones to say it on the record, then he or she is a race-baiting coward.
Is there some racism/bigotry in not wanting to give 11-20 million illegal aliens amnesty? A tiny, tiny bit. Let’s not forget that Democrats encoded racism and bigotry in their Party platforms, along with massive opposition to legal immigrants. Nowadays, they just patronize people along lines of race, nationality, religion, age, and sex.
Republican/Conservative opposition to amnesty and a “pathway to citizenship” is based on the rule of law. Why in the hell should we reward bad, and even lawless, behavior? Why should we cater to people who want to be in America but do not want to integrate, and often dislike America? This is not just illegals, but legals, as well.
Dan Riehl takes on the comments of, surprise, Lindsay Graham and John McCain, who soft-peddle the raaaaacism meme.
Byron York discusses the so-called “immigration triggers”, which will be about as weak as you would expect. The Lonely Conservative goes on to note that there is no reason for Republicans to trust Obama on immigration.
I’ve previously noted my plan, which creates a situation, for one, that would make illegals not want to come to the USA. The GOP plan would really say to illegals “sure, come in, we’ll hook you up in the future”.
How about going to a meeting and pointing out that each and everyone of these people is a criminal and that the majority are obviously taking American jobs away from the citizens?
REpublican “proposal” states that those illegals who have not broken any laws can be eligible for being placed upon the request list for citizenship.
Why can’t those people do so now?
Aren’t they all by the fact that they are here illegally mean that they’ve broken several laws, state and federal?
And, this “southern republican lawmaker”.. is not a republican. I doubt that person is even real. I think most times the media make up their “source”, in order to push their own biases.
How will amnesty reduce cost of food?
How will amnesty reduce cost of gasoline?
How will amnesty reduce sales taxes?
How will amnesty reduce cost of electricity?
How will amnesty reduce unemployment?
How will amnesty reduce the threat of recession?
How will amnesty reduce terrorism?
How will amnesty reduce influx of illegals?
How will amnesty reduce the holes in our borders?
How will amnesty reduce our national debt?
How will amnesty reduce our national budget?
How will amnesty reduce budgetary pork?
How will amnesty reduce over-regulation?
How will amnesty reduce governmental overreach?
How will amnesty reduce law-breaking by our gov’t?
The fact of the matter is that if you go by the estimates of 12 million illegal immigrants being in the country, you have to deal with that number of people on some level.
Even assuming you can find all of them, what do you do next?
Lock them up in jail? Okay, there are currently 2.5 million people that are incarcerated in the US. Are you ready to pay more for at least 4 times the jail space to house the people? (To say nothing of staffing, medical costs, food, etc.) Are you willing to do that?
In that the illegal immigrants are going to get hearings, are you willing to pay for the additional courts, records, judges, and attorneys? To give you an example of how much we are talking about, in 2011, the Feds criminally prosecuted 160,000 cases give or take a few. Given that immigration is in the hands of the Feds, are you willing to expand the Federal judiciary 68.75 times its current level in order to take on the case load of illegal immigrants?
Then, assuming that you get the judgement you want and send all of them back to their country of origin, how are you going to get them back “home?” It would take 41,984 fully loaded Boeing 767 flights to deport all 11 million people. Are you willing to pay for the costs of the planes, the staffing, the fuel, etc?
Conservatives have unfortunately taken a “silver bullet” approach to this issue and it is going to hurt them in the long run. Every proposal that doesn’t include the deportation of every illegal immigrant immediately seems to be shot down despite the fact we don’t have the money, the logistics or the will as a country to deport everyone.
Every proposal that calls for looking at the status of immigrants here in the country now is met with “close the borders!” Every proposal that deals with closing the borders is met with “what about the illegals here now?”
We can address both issues but we have to be willing to listen to ideas first. We cannot reflexively shoot down every idea that is put forth.
Oh stop it GC. No need to play the massive numbers game. No one believes that the Gov’t will find all 12 million people in one year and be forced to deal with them all at once.
It would be a slowly incremental process with many of the deportations being self-deporting. All it would take, and history has shown this to be true, a few strong laws, a supportive fed, and fed-stupported state laws that actively punish illegals.
What legal hearings? If the person does not have a valid driver’s license, or US birth certificate, then they get sent to those Homeland Security concentration camps. :)
And, at this point, I dont care where we send them. Send them to the other side of the Arizona border and say.. good luck. Tell them if we find them, we will deport them to the Sonoran Desert. If they leave on their own, they can choose to go back to the country where they DO IN FACT HAVE legal status.
gumballs,
“If the person does not have a valid driver’s license, or US birth certificate, then they get sent to those Homeland Security concentration camps.”
Would you mind if agents from Barack Obama’s DHS stopped you on the street and demanded valid identification papers? Are you suggesting that Americans be required to carry government issued identification at all times or face government detention? Or should the agents only check those that look “illegal”?
Then what is the time frame, Gumballs? What is an acceptable time frame?
Secondly, the time frame doesn’t matter when you are talking about the number of flights and the number of hearings on deportations. Those numbers and the associated costs still exist.
(As for “self deporting,” most people think that less than 1/4 of the illegals will self deport. That still leaves 9 million here. We have to start addressing the situation from both sides – securing the border as well as dealing with those who are here in the country illegally. Frankly, I am of the opinion that there are people who really want to be citizens but the costs make it prohibitive. We have young men and women who serve in the military for the promise of citizenship. I, for one, am not willing to paint everyone with a broad brush but look at people and intentions on an individual basis.)
I am not sure if you are joking because of the smiley face at the end of the sentence but people still deserve and receive due process in this country. Teach gives a link to his proposal in which he cites USC 8 which lists penalties for being in the country illegally. Do you think those penalties are imposed without a trial? Without a hearing? Without legal representation?
You want to send them to Utah? California? New Mexico? Those are the legal choices of “other side of the Arizona border.” Certainly you cannot be advocating breaking the law and treaties by illegally invading Mexico. Furthermore, what makes you think that illegal aliens are only from countries south of the United States?
Deporting everyone cannot work. The numbers and costs don’t work. That is a given.
Now, what should we do?