By Phil Gingrey
President Bush has issued a set of broad guidelines on immigration reform for Congress to consider. As a member of the House of Representatives, I begin this process leery of any proposal that I think will reward or even condone illegal behavior.
The United States has always been a nation of immigrants. It’s a proud heritage. Another proud tradition is our respect for our Constitution and the rule of law. We’re not going to stop immigration, but Americans must insist that those who enter our borders seeking work and liberty follow the rules.
We all, regardless of political affiliation, agree that we need to reform the current system. It isn’t working; we aren’t enforcing the rules.
The United States can have a common-sense, compassionate system that regulates immigration, fulfills businesses’ need for workers, and benefits those who follow the proper channels to enter this country.
With those principles in mind, let’s look at some of the changes to immigration policy suggested by President Bush.
A work permit system, such as the president recommends, has merit. The federal government must know who’s in this country and why. In the case of noncitizen workers, the government should know where they are working and how long they’ll be in this country. This allows the government to make sure that their workers’ rights are protected and that they – and their employers – are paying the proper taxes.
Throughout American history, our national leaders have turned the spigot of immigration on and off, depending largely on the needs of our economy. The United States has grown exponentially in the past 200 years and our fresh supply of immigrants looking for liberty and opportunity has contributed to that growth and prosperity.
Nevertheless, the numbers coming in and out of the country should be tightly regulated. In some parts of Georgia’s 11th District, the large number of illegal immigrants has stressed the resources of our schools, hospitals and law enforcement agencies.
The resulting squeeze on local tax dollars requires a reasonable limit on the number of immigrant workers coming into Georgia.
I’ve viited schools in my district where 70 percent of the students in the class don’t speak English at home. Teachers facing that challenge have difficulty imparting the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic to the children who do speak English.
Our innovative Georgia educators have succeeded with programs that teach English to speakers of other languages. Those programs are important, but they’re also expensive.
Also costly are the incarceration costs of illegal immigrants who run afoul of the law. Sheriffs in west Georgia tell me this is an increasing burden, and they do not have the authority to deport convicts who are illegal immigrants.
I’m pleased that President Bush’s principles will not grant amnesty to people who entered this country illegally; in other words, those who entered the country illegally and are here now won’t receive carte blanche to stay as long as they like. Nor do Bush’s guidelines put illegals on the path toward citizenship.
There are still pitfalls, though. For example, what about the children of immigrants who are born here? Regardless of their parents’ citizenship, those children are Americans. That would pose a tricky situation when the parents’ U.S. work permits expire.
I want immigration reform that’s sensible and fair; I can’t, however, vote to legalize the status quo.
Phil Gingrey represents Georgia’s 11th Congressional District.
