I am a conservative Republican by nature, but I disagree with many of my fellow Republicans on immigration reform. I am among those who recognize that many of us who call ourselves “Americans” are descendants of immigrant parents or grandparents. In fact, this great country and some of the largest companies were built largely on the immigrant population. For example, Henry Ford, the son of an Irish-born father, created the eighth largest company on the Fortune 500 list. About four out of ten Fortune 500 companies were founded by new immigrants to the United States or by their children. (Association for a New Economy)
I recognize the need to try to secure our borders, but we also need to be realistic, no matter how much we spend to seal our borders, they will never be 100% waterproof to those who wish to enter illegally. Increase border security, I’m all for it. But, there is still the problem of what to do with those who are here. Yet for decades both Democrats and Republicans have turned a blind eye to illegal immigration, why? Because this country has benefited from immigrant labor to satisfy, mainly, our agricultural needs, at a reasonable price. Immigrants do not take jobs away from Americans. They do work that most of us don’t want to do or won’t do. This has been evidenced by farmers and ranchers across the country who have tried to hire local help.
Congress and the Senate need to work together toward immigration reform. It must be integral to fixing an outdated immigration system. Congress needs to provide funding for technology and personnel to strengthen border security. You need to speed up the immigration application process. There is no reason why a family-based petition should take 18 years to process. Congress needs to create a program for those who are here illegally to come out of the shadows and register and be given permission to stay and work in this country under certain conditions. The concept that we simply need to deport everyone is silly and impossible. The government couldn’t even evacuate the city of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, how can we expect them to find and bring everyone together? We can’t and it won’t happen.
Republicans are often seen as obstructionists of immigration reform. Republicans would benefit from the passage of the Immigration Innovation Act. This law has been in the United States Senate for two years. It would expand access to both the high-tech visa and the green card. The chamber must write its own version of the law and pass it. It would then be sent to the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats, for approval and then sent to the president to sign the law into law. If they didn’t, it would show which party is really playing politics with immigration. In this way, Republicans could begin to change the debate on immigration and begin to get ahead instead of always staying on the tip of the stick.
Ken Braun’s article “Republicans Should Send the President a ‘High Skill’ Immigration Reform Bill” was the basis for this article.