Go Ahead, Jump the Fence!!!

Did we just give the green light to keep jumping the fence. Apparently we just did...

So here we go again. Like many of you, I picked up the newspaper and was really disappointed to see that the immigration bill died in the senate and will not be debated anymore. What is everyone thinking?? I don’t agree with anything the Bush administration has done so far, but after 7 years he finally comes up with one good plan and it gets killed!!!!!!!!!!!

Booooooooooooo to all of you guys who are against CIR (Comprehensive Immigration Reforms). The congress is only 6 months old and its already become a "Do Nothing" congress.

Fact: There are close to 13 Million illegal residents within the country.

Fact: As per the law of the land, it is not illegal to be here illegally (funny huh?? Well, it is considered only a civil crime)

Fact: There is no way to trace where these millions of illegal people are and there is nothing to stop more people from coming in the future.

Fact: Say what you want, but at least 70% of these people are latino’s

So we can all either accept the fact that these people are not leaving (come on guys, do you seriously think you can trace and deport or convince 13 million people to leave) or wait till the day 13 million becomes say 20-25 million (you know its going to happen with each passing day you refuse to address the issue) and then it becomes much much more difficult to tackle.

I am not getting into the details of the bill (and the 100’s of amendments everybody wants), but some of the important points for everybody to consider before they oppose is:

• The 12 Million undocumented workers can come forward immediately and receive probationary legal status (What is there to oppose in that??? Hey, if I had 12 million people in my backyard, and I don’t even know where they, you bet I want to know who/where they are)
• Bill creates a four-year, renewable "Z" visa for those present within the U.S. unlawfully before Jan. 1, 2007
• Undocumented immigrants may adjust status to lawful permanent residence once they pay $5,000 in fees and fines and their head of household returns to their home country.
• No green cards for "Z" visa holders will be processed until "triggers" for border security and workplace enforcement have been met, estimated to take 18 months.
• Processing of green cards for holders of "Z" visas would begin after clearing an existing backlog, which is expected to take eight years. (which means, it will be at least 15 years before these people get green cards and 20 years before they can become American’s). Heck, many of them won’t even be alive in 20 years.

And before any of these people can apply to become Green Card holders, the border security must be enforced (This part is especially for people who oppose, so take your heads out of your A$$ and listen):

• 20,000 new border patrol agents will be hired and 300 miles of vehicle barriers and 370 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border will have to be completed.
• All that ground-based radar, camera towers, unmanned aerial vehicles and supporting systems etc. will be funded and implemented.

So in essence, border security will be enforced before any of the undocumented (ok, illegal) people can be granted permanent residence.

Once border security has been enforced, a guest worker program will be established (“Y” Visa), under which people can come in LEGALLY to work in the United States.

Still opposing the bill????

The fact is these people contribute to our economy (or its probably a wash, depending on how you look at it), but if we legalize them, it certainly gives hope to millions. And come on, the US has its lowest level of unemployment (hovering around 4%), and we have managed to absorb 12 million workers into the country. All senators talk about strengthening border security and building a fence and then legalizing, but what I don’t get is, that’s what this bill states, then why are you opposing? Do you think that by putting if off, you have solved the issue??

Fact: 13 million people will actually contribute to the economy (TAXES!!!! I am sure the IRS is a strong supporter of the Bill)
Fact: All of these people (X or Y Visas), will have to undergo background checks and criminal checks, so we can actually catch the guys who are committing crime
Fact: You can actually control crime, including stopping drug smuggling (Hey, you at least know where they are, so go and catch them)
Fact: If people have hope and they will try and come here legally, (ming chu will not be coming in a container and Immanuel will not jump the fence risking their lives as a first resort), and we might actually be able to control the flow of people we cannot trace.
Fact: You have just messed up a CIR amendment on stopping the H1-B and L1 visa abuse (Too big a topic for discussion on this one)
Fact: The heavily Latino underclass of unskilled, poorly-paid U.S. workers will be free from the shackles of unequal treatment as a human beings. (You can deny it, but it is happening!!)
Fact: There will be millions more coming in illegally before you address this issue again.

American’s get so emotional when it comes to this issue that they fail to see rational benefits if the bill is passed. I am not blindly defending the bill, of course its perfect by no means, but it’s the most realistic bill I have seen in recent years, which can actually work. Right now, the system is broken and beyond repair (trust me, we are coming back to this issue when the 13 mil becomes 25 mil) and at the very least, this bill creates a system where we can control the flow and reduce crime.

All the conservatives are bloating that they have a victory in defeating the bill. But my friends, trust me, by killing the bill (thereby the debate to see if it’s good or bad), do you know you have just told all the people looking to come here for a better life .“You want to come to the USA, great, but wait, we have just made it complicated to come into the US the right way if you are not educated, so go ahead Pablo, just come here illegally, its much easier”

Myth: Illegal aliens cost the American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars in social services, primarily in the areas of healthcare and education. No they do not. Go back again and check your facts.

Final Fact: These people are going nowheres Jose.

So you can either let them pay taxes and live here legally in peace, or encourage them to jump the fence.

But wait, Oh Ok…Apparently we just told them to jump (sigh!!)