Republicans have offered their own immigration reform bill. It’s called the Secure Borders First Act. It makes so much sense that it hasn’t got a chance. Here are the particulars. Keep in mind the iron laws of public policy — “you get what you reward” and “you get less of what you penalize” — as you read them:
It would ban the use of matricula consular cards, identification cards issued by Mexican consulates and used by immigrants to open bank accounts or buy homes. It would make three convictions for drunk driving grounds for deportation.
The bill would require the deployment of at least 18,000 more border patrol agents by Dec. 31, 2008. It would also require the full implementation of US-VISIT, a long-troubled program that is meant to track entries and exits by land, sea and air. …
Another section would modify an existing guest worker program for agriculture alone, lowering current pay requirements and no longer obligating farmers to provide housing for foreign workers. “There’s a consensus that foreign workers are needed in the agriculture sector,” said Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).
Workers would not be able to bring their family and would not be able to gain citizenship, and one-quarter of their wages would be held in escrow to be picked up at the border when they returned home. They could stay for up to 22 months at a time and could participate repeatedly in the program but would have to return home between work periods for a duration of one-fifth the length of their stay in the U.S.
The bill would require the detention and deportation of all gang members. Currently, gang members are not deportable unless they have committed a crime. Those from some countries can hold special immigration status, while others can stay in the U.S. as asylum seekers. The bill would close those harbors and enable tougher sanctions against gang members by adopting State Department procedures used against terrorist groups.
