Finally... An Immigration Plan That Makes Sense

http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/wp-print.php?p=602

Posted By Bobby Eberle On November 13, 2007 at 7:07 am

Over the past year or so, every time the phrase "immigration reform" was uttered in Washington, the American public knew to brace for the worst. No matter what we said, it appeared that our "leaders" weren't listening. The wishes of Americans were clear: border security first, no amnesty, and enforce existing laws. It's not rocket science.

Now, it appears that Congress may actually be listening. With all the time wasted on "comprehensive" immigration reform, a new plan moving through the House of Representatives has garnered bi-partisan support, and it addresses immigration reform from a border security perspective.

Known as the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act, the plan was introduced by Immigration Reform Caucus Chairman Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and "Blue Dog" Rep. Heath Schuler (D-NC). As noted by Human Events, "The bill emphasizes an e-verification program, which requires federal agencies, contractors and employers to verify the eligibility of all employees within one to four years, depending on the size of the company. In the process, identity fraud wrought through fake social security numbers and stolen credit cards would be downsized significantly."

The Hill reports that in addition to employment enforcement through the e-verification program, the plan also focuses on interior enforcement and increased border security. In other words, this plan actually addresses some of the main problems America is facing from illegal immigration.

The Shuler-Bilbray bill would also close existing loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to use the same Social Security number and will require information-sharing between the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and the IRS.

In order to increase border security, the bill seeks to provide an 8,000-agent increase for the U.S. Border Patrol and an expansion of the investigative abilities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

NumbersUSA has come out in support of the plan, saying it will "broaden and enhance border security and interior enforcement."

With a number of border security Democrats and Republicans already agreeing to co-sponsor, this bipartisan effort may be Congress’s best chance to achieve substantial immigration reform this Congress.

Immigration reform stalwarts such as Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and Duncan Hunter (R-CA) have signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation.

After countless efforts by Congress to grant amnesty and ignore the real problems stemming from uncontrolled illegal immigration, this plan appears to be a bright light at the end of the tunnel. We must secure our borders and crack down on the hiring of illegal aliens. This is a step in the right direction.