Marxist Thought Online: A Real Solution: Replace SB 1070 with Comprehensive Immigration Reform

[pampango]

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/9405/1/392/

Mobilized to overturn Arizona's anti-immigrant law (SB 1070), an amazing coalition of labor, civil rights organizations, students, recording artists, health care professionals, faith-based groups, professional athletes, Arizona elected officials, city governments around the country, and police groups want swift federal action. Critics charge the law is a draconian legalization of racial profiling to target people who appear to be Latinos. Police organizations have slammed the authors of the law as "fear mongering" and as pushing for ineffective local enforcement of federal laws that will overwhelm police agencies. A combination of education on the law's racist effects and its negative impact on public safety can build pressure on federal authorities to replace SB 1070 (and other laws like it) with comprehensive immigration reform.

While a number of public opinion polls show some six in 10 Americans support SB 1070, additional analysis of the data reveals that only a small portion of that support comes out of right-wing or racist hostility towards immigrants. Xenophobia and racism are palpably dangerous in the current climate, and right-wing leaders of the Republican Party and Tea Party use these influences to promote and cover for their discredited policies. Key portions of their program and ideology are built with the planks of racism.

While supporters of the Arizona law are most likely Republicans and supporters of the Tea Party, more than three in four Americans from both major parties and in all geographic regions of the country support comprehensive immigration reform. People view the Arizona law as an unfortunate reaction to decades of federal foot-dragging on reform. Instead of the punitive or enforcement-only responses to immigration on the state or local level favored by the Republican Party, Americans, including a significant majority of Latinos, want comprehensive federal action with four basic parts:

1) Increased security at the border
2) Crack down on employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers
3) Require unauthorized workers to register, undergo background checks and learn English
4) Unauthorized immigrants should get in line for citizenship

Simply put, Americans agree with the immigration reform agenda the Obama administration has repeatedly called for.

David Mermin, a pollster with Lake Research Partners, explained apart from extremist anti-immigrant sentiments, "the sense that the system is out of control and that there isn't a legal orderly process by which people are immigrating" drives most attitudes about immigration reform. "Folks don't want some sort of draconian enforcement effort where you try to round up millions of people," Mermin added, "they want people to register, to get in line, to pay taxes, to learn English, to become American."

"People aren't angry at immigrants," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigration reform group America's Voice, in a recent conference call with reporters. He noted that the polling data proves that instead "they are frustrated that the government hasn't solved the problem." He warned that Congress should not use the fallout from SB 1070 as an excuse to avoid dealing with comprehensive immigration reform. The evidence suggests that most Americans sharply break with Republican Party and extremist views on immigration. They do not support right-wing hostility towards inclusiveness or provision of legal status and eventual citizenship for new immigrants.

[kctim]

1. Comprehensive federal action with four basic parts:

1) Increased security at the border
- NOT DONE. EVERYBODY has been calling for this for decades, but the feds have pretty much ignored it.

2) Crack down on employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers
- DONE. Has not stopped the flow of illegal immigrants. Harder measures are needed.

3) Require unauthorized workers to register, undergo background checks and learn English
- DONE. Has not stopped the flow of illegal immigrants.

4) Unauthorized immigrants should get in line for citizenship
- DONE. Has not stopped the flow of illegal immigrants.

So basically, their solution is to continue with the status quo and label all those against that as racists.

[happyslug]

2. Actually 2 was undone soon after being done during the last immigration reform

After the last immigration reform under Reagan, Employers pressed congress to repeal or at least reduce not only the fines for hiring illegals but the funds to detect them. As such employers had (and continue to have) an almost free ride on this issue. If the illegals complain, the employers turn them into Immigration. if the employer is caught with illegals, the employer suffers no fine, some inconvenience while they hire new employees but no fine (unless it can CLEARLY be shown that they knew the employees were illegal, mere ignorance is a defense and that defense permits employers a free ride).

You also forgot a fifth element, support for jobs in their own countries (And this includes increase Civil Rights including the right to form unions). Almost no support for this, not only in Mexico but in Central America.

Thus what is needed is a strict liability for hiring illegals. One or two can be forgiven but once you get more then that number, it is rarely an accident.