| The Senate let the American
people down
By Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions
June 25, 2006
Late last month, the Senate, by a vote of 62-36, passed what proponents
called a "comprehensive" immigration bill. I was among the group
of 36 senators - 32 Republicans, four Democrats - to oppose the measure.
The American people were counting on us to secure our borders and restore
the rule of law to our immigration system. Unfortunately, the Senate let
the American people down by passing a deeply flawed bill that would give
the illegal alien population every benefit this nation can bestow, and
increase future legal immigration levels by nearly three times the current
level.
The bill also fails to secure the border or establish effective border
enforcement. Additionally, between 80 percent and 85 percent of the large
influx would be admitted without having to meet any educational, skill
or language requirements.
The fatal flaws of this bill are numerous. Here are a few of the most
egregious examples
- Border security: Although I was glad the Senate approved my amendment
to increase the amount of fencing and vehicle barriers along our southwest
border, the bill is fatally flawed because the amnesty will be effective
upon passage but these are only unfunded promises of enforcement in
the future. That follows the exact pattern of the 1986, once-and-for-all
amnesty, where amnesty was granted but enforcement never occurred.
- Workplace enforcement: Workplace enforcement is an integral component
of effective immigration enforcement. Today, no mandatory workplace
verification system exists. The provisions in the bill that attempt
to address the problems in the workplace are deficient and will not
work.
- Amnesty: If amnesty means anything, it means giving illegal aliens
every benefit that legal immigrants receive. Under the bill, a vast
majority of the illegal alien population will be given every benefit
our nation can bestow on its citizens, including participation in the
Social Security System based on their illegal work histories using fraudulent
Social Security numbers.
- Temporary worker program is not temporary: Though it has been sold
as a "temporary guest worker program," there is nothing "temporary"
about the new guest worker program created by this bill. Almost every
"temporary guest worker" who comes in the future would be
eligible for legal permanent resident status (a green card) and put
on the path to citizenship shortly after arriving in the United States.
- Future immigration levels: The bill would increase future legal immigration
at nearly three times the current level. Instead of 18.9 million people
coming in the next 20 years, the United States could issue 53.1 million
green cards by 2026. That number is far too high and has never been
explained or justified.
- The needs of the United States: The bill does nothing to ensure that
our nation's future immigration policy reflects our country's needs.
Other developed nations have been reforming their immigration policies
to prioritize high-skilled immigration over low-skilled and extended
family chain migration. This bill prioritizes low-skilled and chain
migration over skill-based immigration, an approach we should reject.
- Fiscal impact: No official study has been conducted on the huge adverse
financial impact this bill will create in the out years. According to
the Congressional Budget Office, the bill will increase direct spending
by $54 billion and discretionary spending by $64 billion in just the
first 10 years. The Heritage Foundation projects the bill will increase
long-term federal spending in the second 10 years by at least $50 billion
a year.
These are staggering numbers that indicate that this bill might have
costs as great as half a trillion dollars in any future 10-year period.
This bill is a monumental budget buster. These dramatic costs are the
result of favoring low-skill immigrants.
The House of Representatives has passed its own immigration bill that
calls for stronger enforcement of our immigration laws inside our borders,
enhanced border security (including 700 miles of fencing) and real penalties
for employers of illegal immigrants.
The huge gap between the Senate and House bills will be hard to bridge
in a traditional conference committee process.
As a conferee, I intend to do everything in my power to create a lawful
system for the future and to establish a future flow that serves our just
national interests. The pressure to "just pass something" is
great, but we cannot yield to such political pressures. The American people
must remain alert because this government has consistently failed them
on the matter of immigration.
No bill is better than a bad bill.
Jeff Sessions is Alabama's junior U.S. senator.
Last updated July 4, 2006 |
