TouristTrap

Looks like it is over.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/...ess/index.html

mdyoung

Good, so maybe now they will enforce the laws that are already on the books.

Silly Sod

Would that be the totally unenforceable law? The one that erm......quite clearly doesn't work?

mdyoung

No that would be the ones that the Federal government makes almost no attempt to enforce.

"The Secure Fence Act of 2006 authorized 750 miles of fence to be built along our border with Mexico, where almost all of our illegal immigrants enter--over 80% of them come from Mexico and Latin American countries--but only about 150 miles of that border fence will have been built by the end of this year."

http://www.opinionjournal.com/column.../?id=110010253

vegas

Bush can't even deliver to his corporate cronies anymore what a waste of space. Bring on Clinton and obama.

Silly Sod

When the 750 miles of fence is built that will still leave 1200 miles of border un-fenced. I maybe a little naive here but, well, won't people just cross illegally a bit further up? Say, where there is no fence? Then there is the staffing problems. It is gonna take a shit load of cash to pay for all of the border guards that will be required 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year and right up until somebody comes up with a sensible immigration bill that will tackle the problem rather than saying - ermmmm, I got an idea bub, lets us build a biiiiiiig fence. I dont want to sound like a pessemist here but people have been building fences and walls to keep other people out throughout human history. Has nobody noticed that they don't really work as a long term solution? (Great wall of china, Hadrians wall, The Berlin wall etc).

vegas

The answer is simple. Go after the employers with huge fines and aggressively
enforce it. End of problem.

fatbrit

The answer that is neither will work. It needs a comprehensive solution consisting of both the carrot and stick for all the parties involved.

mdyoung

Well a bloated bill that probably none of them read and/or understand wasn't the answer. Secure the border and then move on to rest of the problem.

fatbrit

There's certainly an argument there. How secure do you want the border to be? 100% is impossible. Have a figure -- say no more than so many illegal crossings per period and then move on from there, perhaps? Crossings are easy to accurately estimate with thermal imaging cameras and software. Are you going to dollar limit the amount spent, though? Seems it could soak up an awful lot of dosh to me, especially when we know the contracts are going to Bush's cronies at inflated prices and no requirement for actual delivery!

TouristTrap

Easily solveable if there was a tad bit of cojones around. Fix Mexico's economy et al, and they'd not want to come here.

Silly Sod

Agreed. Everybody blames the dirt poor immigrants desperately trying to secure a way out of abject third world poverty while ignoring the fact that it is patriotic american employers who are breaking their own laws with impunity. Better still, force the employers to pay minimum wage at least even to illegal workers. That way emplyoment would be based on the employees ability and inclination to do the job in question rather than who will do it for the least amount of dollars. That said, what then would the republican church goers have to complain about?

EDIT: A smattering of commas here and there would have helped this post lol

Mallory

Divert them on to Spain. They already speak the language.

homesicklysue

Has anyone noticed the bill wasn't directed at one particular nation, and it actually, if you read it, doesn't only mention illegal residents but did have parts useful for your friends or non elligible family (cousins, grandchildren etc). I am sure you know that a fresh green card application is taking 5 years and up at the moment and parts would have addressed this lunacy ...

franc11s

It's a shame that at least some of some bill could not have been passed. Friggin political morons, the lot of them.

I have NO DOUBT though that even if this bill had been successful, that the chicken shite politicians would have been having these same discussions 10 years from now since they WOULD NOT be enforcing the laws then as even they do now.

Like I said, this would have been a GREAT opportunity to fix this once and for all. Give a one-time amnesty THIS time BUT throw any cop or politician or employer who BROKE the law in jail. How does a COP / Politician get to decide what laws are OK / or NOT OK to break.

We'd all get thrown in jail if WE broke the law so why should THEY be any different. (I'm not talking illegals going to jail, I'm talking the politicians and the police - that's the only way i'd believe it).

Amnesty backed up by a believable (not laughable) REAL LAW and be done with it.