Immigration reform came to the forefront of the American political realm this week, with several leaders putting forth plans that could lead to citizenship for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States.
The first move this week was made by a group of Republican and Democratic senators Monday. The Associated Press reports that the group with their plan aims to first increase the country’s borders before laying down a path to citizenship.
President Barack Obama presented the highlights of his proposals on Tuesday. While both his and the senators’ plans call for establishment of a way to allow illegal immigrants to pursue citizenship, the president is not proposing tying the citizenship component to border security. An AP analysis of the proposals shows a few more differences between them.
A bipartisan group of six U.S. House members are also preparing a similar immigration proposal expected to include a way toward legal immigration status for illegal immigrants already in the country, the AP reports.
Should the country’s illegal immigrants be given a pathway toward citizenship? Whose immigration proposals do you most agree with? Are there any stipulations or laws you would like to see implemented?
Share what’s on your mind with us, and then return here to see what your neighbors in Paulding, Douglas and Cobb have said.
"Immigration" doesn't need to be reformed. The immigration laws which are currently in place are outstanding. They just need to be enforced, which is not what the currently politicians in control want done If these millions of illegal immigrants are granted not just amnesty but are given a pathway to citizenship, will my wife and I be refunded of our money we spent toward the LEGAL immigration process? Will my wife be afforded some type of credit toward these months and years she has been apart from her children and grandchildren, waiting for the immigration process to take place, much unlike these millions of ILLEGAL immigrants who bring their entire families into the country? I think I know the answer to these questions, and so do you.
You have a "them" and "us" attitude. You see the word immigrant and think of others, like mexicans. I hate to break it to you, but you are an immigrant. "Will my wife be afforded some type of credit toward these months and years she has been apart from her children and grandchildren, waiting for the immigration process to take place" And this is a good thing? Has the torture you have gone through been worth it? The immigration process is horrible, waiting lists are too long, and the process is just completely inefficient. There is a LOTTERY to determine who can stay on a visa when it's time for renewal. We've had to have software engineers working on software projects have to leave and work out of our foreign offices due to their visa expiring even though they attempted to get it renewed and followed the process. They just ended up in the lottery and getting unlucky. We've had others that got lucky, but just as many who haven't. In one case, we had to get a senator involved. The process is screwed up. And it's time to fix it.
So if the only way they can get in is by illegal immigration, then so be it. It's just a sign our system is flawed. We should be encouraging people to come in who are willing to work hard and help our economy. I wish we could ship out the Americans who aren't willing to work.
But that's not what is on the table for this so-called "immigration reform" which the president wants to enact. He's wanting to give a pathway to citizenship to millions of people who are outright criminals. They are criminals because they have broken the law. There is no other way to say it. Yes, we have our fair share of lazy Americans but this very same president seems to want to keep them that way because he's not proposing "welfare reform." That just makes the presidents motives even more clear.
Being a child of hard-working immigrant or someone who came here to work hard to make a life for their family isn't a criminal. Also, you are not correct about welfare reform. Clinton already enacted welfare reform. Obama supports the existing policy enacted by Clinton. The whole argument that Obama wants to overturn Clinton's welfare reform is rhetorical garbage by the right wing in order to fear-monger. It has little basis in fact.
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-09-06/opinions/35497580_1_welfare-reform-work-requirements-tanf Back to ILLEGAL immigration and "immigration reform," we can already attract talent through legal means, and companies do it every day. Our immigration laws serve as no barrier to LEGALLY bringing someone into the country on a work visa. I will clarify, someone coming into the country on a work visa has nothing, whatsoever, to do with immigration. They're not "immigrating." They're in the country on a temporary basis for the purpose of fulfilling a job need for their employer. This is a process outside the immigration process. I disagree with you concerning the lack of training and the high level of unemployment. I know people, personally, who have a masters degree, who are told they are over-qualified. The mass exodus of manufacturing here in the U.S. is the key factor in the enormous job losses in the country. But, again, the point of the discussion concerns granting amnesty and even a pathway to citizenship to millions of people who are, yes, criminals, regardless of the method by which the law was broken. The people who are benefiting mostly from this proposed idea are not "highly skilled and highly trained" who will fulfill job vacancies which you say are vacant due to a lack of training. We know where these people work, and it isn't in highly-skilled/trained jobs.
And that isn't the only example. I have a friend who has been in love with a canadian for five years and finally married her. I went to the wedding in Canada. Now, almost 6 months later, they are still going through the process of her legally immigrating here, and have 8 months or more to go. How messed up is that? They are married. She can't even come here since she is applying. He has to drive to Canada to see her. And you say the system isn't broken. Now, as far as criminality, you are not a "criminal" by nature. Criminality is created by the government. Most people are criminals because they go faster than the speed limit. When a law is unfair, then it creates criminals where there shouldn't be any. That is Sociology 101. Now, if there were no demand for these people, they would not be coming here. As I said, most Americans are too lazy for farm labor, etc.
I, too, know very good, hard-working people who are in the country in a business visa and are being told they have to leave, and they absolutely do not want to leave. In fact, they want to immigrate and become citizens. They are very productive people who own a home and who pay taxes, people who contribute to society, not who are dependent upon society. Sadly, it is those people who are getting no reprieve within this supposed "immigration reform." Nothing will change for them. Those who are under consideration are the MILLIONS of people who are in the country illegally, and we're not talking about software engineers, business owners, etc. I wholeheartedly support something to be done concerning these type situations. But I am not holding my breath, waiting on this federal government to provide a remedy. They have other motives in mind, which are made clear by their actions.
Tying these stories in with the present "reform" which is on the table... I don't see that it will help either of the situations which you've described. The proposals are targeted toward millions of people who are here illegally and giving en masse citizenship. I know of no inclusion of dealing with situations like the two which you've described. The "reform" will not address those issues, at all.