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Monday, May 21, 2007
Immigration: What’s in there?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The immigration bill that came to life behind closed doors moves into the open as U.S. Senate begins what is expected to be five days of open debate on the bill’s particulars.
I’m willing to heed for a few more hours the pleas of Georgia’s two U.S. Senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, that we not lock down on this bill until the details are more fully aired. As the cliche goes, the devil’s always in the details.
My initial reaction is that it is amnesty. It legitimizes the presence of people here illegally. Sure, the head of household has to make a shopping trip back home, but that appears to be no more than a legal charade, since the family remains and he’s guaranteed acceptance, assuming he’s not a known felon.
Border security is a preconditon, of course. But my guess is that, secure or not, a president eager to have a second-term legislative success will certify it as secure on the way out.
The shift from family ties to job skills as a basis for entry has some appeal, but it’s ultimately unworkable. Public opinion won’t sustain the policy once the news media starts profiling the law’s impact on immigrant families.
But given the way the compromise came about, not enough is known about the details to speak with certainty about its provisions. Five days is hardly enough for the public to know what the Senate’s brought forth. The House is expected to act in July. Bush wants to sign it into law by the August recess. It sounds awfully much like a done deal.
