Monday, May 17, 2010

Allen Hunt writes a good article

Assuming he is sincere. Hard to say though. Basically he notes in the article that a girl in Atlanta named Jessica Colotl who has been here since a child and is about to graduate from high school, might instead be deported as an immigrant.
Self-righteous overreaction describes the stand of those who vehemently insist that Jessica must be deported immediately. They see Jessica as a poster child in their campaign for mass deportation. As if a policy of mass deportation of tens of millions of illegals were even logistically and economically feasible. What was Jessica supposed to do when her parents came here with hope, looking for a better future for their kids? Remain behind in Mexico? Turn 18 and then leave the education and nation she had spent the bulk of her life in? Oh, please.
So good on you Mr. Hunt. He goes on to praise the Arizona law which I have strong doubts about (because of the racial profiling problems) but ends with a straightforward proposal.
Begin an earnest conversation now by first sealing and securing the borders. President Obama's strategy of reducing the numbers of border patrol members is a step in the wrong direction. Second, work to establish a path to citizenship for those here illegally who pass background checks and are willing to pay all back taxes and fines for any contributions evaded. Offer them a legitimate place at the back of the line for legal status here in America. Finally, set forth a cogent strategy for whom we will admit into this country and how we will do so in the future. Back that up with leadership and resources so that immigration becomes what it should be - our lifeline, rather than what it has become, our great volatile vulnerability.
That does seem in general a good approach. I'm not sure about expecting them to pay all back taxes (that might well be essentially a fig-leaf depending on how it was implemented) and Hunt doesn't spare much thought on the exploiters of these people. But in general this is an ok approach, assuming he is sincere in wanting to make it easier for immigrants to come to this country legally.

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