If we agree as a nation that something’s broken, we should be able to agree on a solution. That holds especially true on the divisive topic of immigration.
When the rosiest assessment of of our current immigration system is that it is unworkable and ineffective, then a true overhaul should be a national priority for all Americans. And it should be a must-do for the agricultural titan that is Georgia, given our reliance on migrant labor to help get crops to market.
Reaching a comprehensive, effective fix for our shattered system of entry into this country should transcend every partisan line across the 50 states. That it has not thus far means that people of goodwill and common sense, as well as business leaders, have not demanded loudly enough that bleeding-edge politics take a backseat to sound policy.
As Congress prepares to resume session this week, Capitol Hill types should trade present-day posturing for old-fashioned policymaking. Lawmakers need to exercise the increasingly rare art of statesmanship and, finally, get done the job of passing immigration reform legislation that works for this nation, and for Georgia.
Rebuilding our ragged way of immigration will also require another seldom-seen skill these days — bipartisanship. That demands great courage and, yes, risk-taking in an age when tough problems are far more likely to be ineffectually lobbed back and forth than worked through to resolution. Georgia’s, and America’s, needs demand far better than that.
We believe Georgia’s congressional delegation and even state-level elected officials and business leaders can and should help guide the nation forward in this regard. Although both of Georgia’s U.S. senators voted against an immigration reform bill last month, they have, to their credit, at times shown willingness to work with Democrats to get needed jobs done. That skill’s badly needed now, and they should exercise it, setting an example for the U.S. House and the nation.
No one’s calling for falling upon swords of strongly held principle. Rather, we need an agreeable, workable, national solution for what both sides of the aisle and even the balcony agree is a problem that adversely affects government budgets, the private-sector economy and, yes, human lives. What’s partisan about that?
The widely discussed basics of comprehensive reform need to each be carefully considered, debated and included in any final package.
Yes, we need to adequately secure our borders. Yes, we need to enact measurable ways to determine who’s already here, and whether they’re on our shores legally. And, yes, we need a rigorous pathway to legality — not amnesty — for 11 million people now here illegally. They live amongst us, pay taxes and, yes, work at jobs Americans largely won’t touch.
During a gathering of businesspeople last month in Atlanta convened by The Essential Economy Council, two former governors, Democrat and Republican, spoke forcefully of the necessity for immigration reform. They are co-chairs of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Immigration Task Force.
Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said that, “First of all, I think Republicans ought to pass immigration reform not over politics, but over policy. It’s good policy. It’s the right policy for the country. It’s the right policy for our kids and grandchildren’s future economically.”
The Republican Barbour added that “good information from the business community is the most powerful tool to achieve immigration reform support in Georgia. Because if people know the facts, they will try to do what’s in their best interest and what’s in their best interest is immigration reform.”
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said, “I think Haley’s absolutely right. The example I gave about people saying ‘this bill is amnesty;’ well, when people hear that, they have no idea it’s 13 years down the road, it’s paying all your back taxes, it’s living up to other responsibilities. They have no idea about that. So yes, information is the key. You’ve got to be disseminators of good, reliable information and beat back some of the rumors and the hate that’s out there.”
Both veteran politicians expressed hope that, given honest information, the American people — if not the fringe on either edge — would do the right thing. Said Barbour, “If you’ll be for what’s right, at the end of the day, that’ll be good politics.”
We believe they’re right. If elected leaders will step out on faith in that principle, we can put immigration reform behind us for this generation. And the nation will be the better for it.
