Thursday, November 20, 2014
Obama's Immigration Speech
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/transcript-obamas-immigration-speech/2014/11/20/14ba8042-7117-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html For any that didn't see this... at least as the president frames it, it doesn't seem like his measures are that drastic, increased border security, and allowances for very specific immigrants to become citizens. I can't help but think that a broader (legislative) reform will be needed to "fix" the system.
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I agree that this will not be enough to fix the immigration problem but I think it is an easy step in the right direction. The program allows immigrants who have been here for more than 5 years without breaking the law the chance to pay taxes and not risk deportation. This allows for hardworking families who are not criminals to continue to provide for their families while also paying taxes and not being a free rider on public services. Now when they use roads, sidewalks and libraries they will be paying for their use through taxes. It also means that law enforcement can focus more on deporting illegal immigrants who are causing undue harm on communities instead of worrying about an illegal family who is law abiding and providing for their family. While further action will be needed this is a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI've been persistently surprised that immigration reform hasn't been possible. It seems like an issue that can unite business conservatives and most liberals. Maybe blue collar worker types in the democratic party got anxious about labor competition right as the Republican party became more extreme and we lost the chance for a compromise that might have worked at the beginning of Bush's term (by the time he tried it in his second term he was out of political capital).
ReplyDeleteIt is funny how immigration, ostensibly a policy about trade in labor, tends to lead to liberals and conservatives flipping their usual arguments. I rarely hear conservatives complaining that free trade means foreign exporters don't pay their fair share for public ports and airports, and liberals tend to look the other way concerning the benefits of US imports to workers in developing countries...