Chicago Sun Times Editorial - House is being irresponsible on immigration legislation
Chicago Sun Times Editorial - House is being irresponsible on immigration legislation
Copyright by The Chicago Sun times
June 23, 2006
No one knows how many illegal immigrants are here in the United States -- the estimates go as high as 12 million, with more arriving each month, daring the stultifying heat of the desert to cross into this land. Although the first group of National Guard were sent last week to monitor the border, little more can be done to address the issue because House Republicans in Washington won't work with the Senate to get a bipartisan immigration bill passed.
Forget flag burning and same-sex marriage. Illegal immigration is emerging as the bitterly divisive domestic issue. House Republicans, led by our own Illinois politician, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, are shirking their obligation to lead on this by paying more mind to partisan politics and the upcoming election in November than the national good.
They see that the conservative Republican base is deeply opposed to the Senate bill that allows for a temporary guest worker program and a mechanism for illegals to obtain American citizenship. The House bill is far more punishing and does not give any latitude for future citizenship, focusing only on increasing border security and keeping illegals out.
At this point, the two houses, which each endorsed their own bills after much hard bargaining, should have been working on a compromise, but the House Republicans have put the kibosh on that, perhaps emboldened by a recent California election to fill the seat of disgraced House member Randy Cunningham. Despite the scandal about Cunningham taking bribes, that voting was won by a Republican candidate taking a hard line on immigration.
The House decision to break off talks with the Senate and hold public discussions on immigration reflects a disturbing flight from reality. Do House Republicans think that by postponing a bill, the illegal immigrant problem somehow will get better? Do they think that holding public hearings is going to change anything? Or make achieving a solution easier? What they should be doing is rolling up their sleeves and getting down to the hard work we elected them to do, not frittering away their time and ours. Surely, with a Republican in the White House (one who supports a Senate-style bill) and a Senate and House dominated by Republicans, the work can get done. But the irresponsible actions of House Republicans could lead to the Senate and House having to start over again.
Yes, there is anger about illegal immigrants, a feeling that it's been too easy for them to live and work in this country, that wages have been depressed as a consequence, that there are national security concerns from an unprotected border. All true, but the issue won't go away. If Republicans in control the White House and both Houses of Congress can't produce an immigration bill, the voters in November rightly will wonder whether Republicans deserve to rule in Washington.
Copyright by The Chicago Sun times
June 23, 2006
No one knows how many illegal immigrants are here in the United States -- the estimates go as high as 12 million, with more arriving each month, daring the stultifying heat of the desert to cross into this land. Although the first group of National Guard were sent last week to monitor the border, little more can be done to address the issue because House Republicans in Washington won't work with the Senate to get a bipartisan immigration bill passed.
Forget flag burning and same-sex marriage. Illegal immigration is emerging as the bitterly divisive domestic issue. House Republicans, led by our own Illinois politician, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, are shirking their obligation to lead on this by paying more mind to partisan politics and the upcoming election in November than the national good.
They see that the conservative Republican base is deeply opposed to the Senate bill that allows for a temporary guest worker program and a mechanism for illegals to obtain American citizenship. The House bill is far more punishing and does not give any latitude for future citizenship, focusing only on increasing border security and keeping illegals out.
At this point, the two houses, which each endorsed their own bills after much hard bargaining, should have been working on a compromise, but the House Republicans have put the kibosh on that, perhaps emboldened by a recent California election to fill the seat of disgraced House member Randy Cunningham. Despite the scandal about Cunningham taking bribes, that voting was won by a Republican candidate taking a hard line on immigration.
The House decision to break off talks with the Senate and hold public discussions on immigration reflects a disturbing flight from reality. Do House Republicans think that by postponing a bill, the illegal immigrant problem somehow will get better? Do they think that holding public hearings is going to change anything? Or make achieving a solution easier? What they should be doing is rolling up their sleeves and getting down to the hard work we elected them to do, not frittering away their time and ours. Surely, with a Republican in the White House (one who supports a Senate-style bill) and a Senate and House dominated by Republicans, the work can get done. But the irresponsible actions of House Republicans could lead to the Senate and House having to start over again.
Yes, there is anger about illegal immigrants, a feeling that it's been too easy for them to live and work in this country, that wages have been depressed as a consequence, that there are national security concerns from an unprotected border. All true, but the issue won't go away. If Republicans in control the White House and both Houses of Congress can't produce an immigration bill, the voters in November rightly will wonder whether Republicans deserve to rule in Washington.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 9:21 AM
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