Quiz

Just for fathers Day, here’s a little "pop" quiz for you. Who made the following statements?

1) The existence of a fugitive underground class is unhealthy for society as a whole and may contribute to ethnic tensions. In addition, widespread illegality erodes confidence in the law generally, and immigration law specifically, while being unfair to those who seek to immigrate legally.

2) If U. S. immigration policy is to serve this nation’s interests, it must be enforced effectively. This nation has a responsibility to its people—citizens and resident aliens—and failure to enforce immigration law means not living up to that responsibility.

3) We recommend that deportation and removal of undocumented/illegal migrants should be effected to discourage early return. Adequate funds should be available to maintain high levels of alien apprehension, detention, and deportation throughout the year.

4) We believe that unlawful immigration is unacceptable. Enforcement efforts have not been effective in deterring unlawful immigration. This failure to develop effective strategies to control unlawful immigration has blurred the public perception of the distinction between legal and illegal immigrants.

5) Serious problems undermine present immigration policies, their implementation, and their credibility: people who should get in find a cumbersome process that often impedes their entry; people who should not get in find it all too easy to enter; and people who are here without permission remain with impunity.

The source? Some right wing group, right? Wrong!

The first three statements are direct quotes from the Select Commission on Immigration in 1981. Sen. Ted Kennedy was on that commission, along with four members of Jimmy Carter’s Cabinet. Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, President of Notre Dame University, was the chairman.

The last two quotes are from a similar group convened in 1994 called the U. S. Commission on Immigration Reform.

Both of these advisory groups clearly identified the need for strong enforcement. It’s a shame that our Executive Branch lacks the political will to take action. Do you think pushing the reset button one more time with a path to legalization will do any good? I think not. The House of Representatives was right to focus on enforcement and leave amnesty out of the equation.