Is Bush for real?

The question is: Has Bush got religion about immigration enforcement or is he up to something?

Things certainly look encouraging with the announcement on August 10th that the administration was getting serious about enforcing the law. But playing the parts in this production are cabinet members Chertoff and Gutierrez, the same actors Bush sent to Capitol Hill to lobby Senators on the immigration reform bill.

When I look at Michael Chertoff up there announcing the program, I can’t forget what he said on NPR in May about what would happen if Congress didn’t pass the reform bill. Wringing his hands, he talked about crops rotting in the fields and farmers moving their farms out of the USA. Remember? Is Chertoff setting the stage to be able to say, “I told you so”?

The plan is to get tough about work documents. “No match” letters will no longer be friendly reminders. Now the employer will be required to act on the information.

And Basic Pilot, the federal database used by employers to check work eligibility, will be renamed E-Verify. Participation is still voluntary, unless you are a federal contractor. (It’s a good thing, too. In Illinois at least it is against the law to use any verification system!)

Big business is complaining about all the extra work involved in checking on employees. The farmers are afraid they won’t get the harvest picked. The libs say it is punitive. Latino activists fear wholesale discrimination.

I guess we’ll all have to see how this plays out. At least they are acting tough, which in and of itself makes the USA a less-attractive target for illegals.

Now we hear that Karl Rove has resigned. He was a clear proponent of catering to the Hispanic voter at any cost. I recall reading that former Congressman J D Hayworth was talking to Rove about cracking down on illegals and Karl shot back with, “You just don’t want to give brown people a chance!” Karl always did the expedient thing, even if it wasn’t the right thing.

So maybe his departure is a sign that Bush isn’t going to fight anymore; he will just coast through to the inauguration. And the enforcement of immigration laws is a favor to the GOP. I wish I could believe it was as simple as all that.

Stay tuned.