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 Editorials | At Issue | December 2005 
Holes in Fence
 Waco Tribune
| | The House has passed legislation that authorizes the construction of a fence along parts of the US-Mexico border. It also calls on the support of military and local law enforcement and calls for employers to verify legal status of employees but fails to provide identification standards. (Photo: Denis Poroy / AP) |
Before leaving for the holidays, the House passed legislation to tighten border controls in an effort to stem illegal immigration.
The legislation passed 239-182 with bipartisan opposition from those who wanted a guest worker program or even tougher border control restrictions.
The "enforcement first" legislation will not do the job. Unfortunately, President Bush endorsed the legislation.
"America is a nation built on the rule of law, and this bill will help us protect our borders and crack down on illegal entry into the United States," Bush said. "I urge the Senate to take action on immigration reform so that I can sign a good bill into law."
Indeed, this is a nation built on the rule of law applied equally to all people, with no person above the law.
Regrettably, the House bill does not establish the rule of law throughout the nation's dysfunctional immigration system. It also does not address the underlying causes of illegal immigration.
The House bill authorizes the construction of a fence along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border. It also calls on the military and local law enforcement to help curb the flow of illegal immigrants. It calls for employers to verify the legal status of their employees but fails to provide identification standards.
The United States already has spent many millions of dollars on segments of a 15-foot steel wall between the two countries, based on the belief that it would help control illegal immigration. Since the walls were built, illegal immigration increased several hundred percent as people went over, under and around the walls.
Some members of Congress want to build a steel curtain all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, about 2,000 miles.
Early last month the Bush administration recognized the folly of attempting to solve the nation's immigration problems with a wall.
"We will not build a giant wall across our border," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff when asked about border controls.
That was then. This is now.
Not only would a border wall or fence waste a fortune in taxpayers' money, it also would send the world a message of U.S. paranoia, intolerance and foolishness.
Enforcement is only one part of the solution. The European nations that adopted open borders years ago offer a lesson for the United States. They require proof of citizenship from passports or other national identity papers in order to work or apply for services.
To address the underlying reasons for illegal immigration, Bush's proposed guest worker program is a start. Also, to make employer sanctions work, Congress must establish a reliable method to tell citizens from noncitizens, which is not the case now.
The Senate should pass a bill that recognizes the reality of immigration needs and provides a method to meet those needs under the rule of law. |
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