The same old problems

Here are quotes (some going back 25 years) that you may find interesting:

March 1, 1981
Final Report of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy
under the heading "Structure for Immigration Hearings and Appeals”
“The Select Commission urges that the court be provided with the necessary support to reduce existing backlogs”

June 28, 1995
U S Commission on Immigration Reform
"The Commission strongly recommends that INS adopt and implement as a strategic goal the reduction of processing time and backlogs for naturalization while maintaining rigorous standards in processing applications. The Commission also urges Congress to appropriate sufficient resources to support the implementation of this strategic goal."

September 1997
U S Commission on Immigration Reform
"The Commission recommends fundamental restructuring of responsibilities within the federal government to support more effective management of the core functions of the immigration system: border and interior enforcement; enforcement of immigration-related employment standards; adjudication of immigration and naturalization applications; and consolidation of administrative appeals."

George W. Bush for President 2000 Web Site
“Governor Bush believes that immigration is not a problem to be solved, but the sign of a successful nation. As Governor of a border state, he knows first-hand the benefits legal immigrants bring to America. While he is strongly opposed to illegal immigration, he believes more should be done to welcome legal immigrants. Therefore, he will establish a 6-month standard for processing immigration applications, encourage family reunification, and split the INS into two agencies: one focused on enforcement, and one focused on naturalization and immigration services.”

Immigration News Daily
June 18, 2009
"Nearly three years after the Justice Department found that the nation's immigration courts were seriously overburdened and recommended hiring 40 new judges, only a few hirings have taken place and the case backlog is at its highest point in a decade, according to a study released Wednesday. The report, by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonpartisan group that analyzes data about federal government performance, found that the shortage of judges had contributed to a 19 percent increase in the backlog of cases since 2006 and a 23 percent increase in the time it takes to resolve them. As of April 12, Justice Department officials said, there were 234 active immigration judges, an increase of 4 judges since August 2006."

And they wonder why we are skeptical about Washington's ability to fix the illegal alien problem.

As I recall, immigration law specialist Kris Kobach was shouted down by Senator Chuck Schumer back in April when Kobach suggested that amnesty was unworkable on the basis of staff workload alone.

And the appeals courts are just a sliver of the issue. It's sickening to read those commission reports as they rehash the same problems we are facing today. Yes, we are skeptical. And fearful that they will pass another amnesty with the same result as 1986.