Let's not repeat the mistakes of 1986

I sent this to our friends in Washington
(FYI, the White House website has posted a lengthy explanation as to why things are different now than they were in 1986. The title is "Fact Sheet: Border Security and Immigration Reform Agreement Overcomes 1986 Mistakes.")

25 May 2007 VIA FACSIMILE

Messrs. Bush, Obama, Hastert, Tancredo, Sensenbrenner, Reid, Durbin

Re: Immigration legislation

Dear Sirs:

John A. Appleman is credited with saying, “Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up.” One need only compare the 1993 World Trade Center tragedy where six people perished with 9/11 where the number of deaths approached 3,000 to validate his words.

You stand on the verge of repeating the mistakes made in 1986. May I suggest that, despite your good intentions, the current immigration reform proposal will prove to be an expensive mistake.

I predict that we will be successful in carrying out the legalization part of the program. We seem particularly adept at doling out benefits.

But we will fail in the enforcement elements of the program. It will happen like this: In attempting to check the eligibility of all workers, along will come the alphabet soup brigade of the ACLU, NCLR, LULAC, MALDEF…with a lawsuit that declares your new law unconstitutional because it violates civil rights. Some federal judge somewhere will rule in their favor, and it will be years before the matter is resolved.

And given High Court rulings like Plyler v. Doe, Amendment XIV interpretations, and the EMTALA cases, the odds are in favor of dismantling your legislation altogether.

And virtually any applicant requirement or enforcement program contained within your reform package is subject to the scrutiny of these special interest groups…and ultimately subject to nullification by the courts.

When that happens we are left with millions of people granted the right to stay, without any of the controls in force to regulate their presence or prevent future generations from following behind.

Recognizing that Mexico alone raises up one million new young adults each year who need jobs (source: Juergen Gatz NAFTA analysis), the problem of today will grow exponentially tomorrow.

We must not allow this foolish reform plan to move forward. Please vote against it.