December 31, 2004

"[California's] middle class hinges on Bush's immigration policies"

Dan Stein of FAIR has a guest editorial about the impact of illegal immigration on California here:

...One week after his re-election, President Bush dusted off an immigration proposal first made in January 2004 that proved to be so wildly unpopular with voters that it was not only pulled off the table, but shoved to the back of the closet for the duration of the campaign. The Bush plan -- now back on the agenda -- calls for turning current illegal aliens into guest workers for six years (what happens to them at the end of six year is apparently a problem for some future president to grapple with), and allowing unlimited numbers of new guest workers to enter the country.

The Bush proposal would be a viable solution if the problem of mass illegal immigration were merely a question of legality. As Californians have understood for decades, the problem is not just about people breaking the law. The phenomenon of mass illegal immigration has profound consequences on labor markets, education, public health and the fiscal solvency of state and local governments...

Posted to Immigration2004 at December 31, 2004 12:26 AM

Comments

It is impractical to leave the borders uncontrolled, but to control them is not impractical. The White House says those who want large scale deportations are not recognizing reality. That would only follow if restrictionists expected five, six or seven million foreign criminals to be successfully removed in a year or less, but that is not what immigration-restrictionism demands. Free-immigrationists are giving out a false dilemma here, and it means that sensible arguments are not available to them. Wouldn't it be just so heart-wrenching to deport illegal alien homeowners and separate families, they tell us. An appeal to emotion is a sign of having nothing but irrational approaches to use in defense of one's position.

Posted by: John S Bolton at December 31, 2004 02:10 AM