Home
Archive
Newsletters
Video
Blogs
Discuss
About
Search
Donate
Advertise

A Broken Immigration System Marks a Disastrous Failure of Government Response

By Mary Giovagnoli, Immigration Impact. Posted November 3, 2009.


It's a matter of priorities -- every dollar spent on the deportation iss a dollar not spent on improving immigration services and processing applications quickly and efficiently.
Advertisement
Upcoming AlterNet stories on Digg

This past week, ImmigrationImpact highlighted aspects of a recent Immigration Policy Center (IPC) report, Breaking Down the Problems, What’s Wrong With our Immigration System?. The report highlights the problems faced by American families, businesses, and workers, all caught in a broken immigration system. But the report also addresses the long-term effect of our broken immigration laws on government. Put simply, broken laws equal broken government.

For more than a decade, Congress has attempted to “fix” our broken immigration system by pouring money into border walls, detention beds, and stepped up enforcement actions against workers. But every dollar spent on the deportation side of the equation means a dollar not spent on improving immigration services, keeping fees down, and processing applications quickly and efficiently. Congress has frequently increased the amount of money for line items like detention beds and fencing above the agency request simply because it looks good and sounds tough. But that political calculation translates into something else on the agency side.

People believe that if you give them money, you must approve of what they are doing. So, if you give an agency more money for detention beds you are going to get more detention beds, whether or not they are needed. And once you have the beds, you don’t have to spend as much time weighing whether or not someone really should be detained because you have the resources. And once you have the resources, well, it becomes that much easier to arrest anybody with an immigration violation whether or not they are a threat. And so on and so on.

This happens on the services side of the immigration house as well. By law, USCIS must fund its operations out of user fees, which means that the costs of updating computer systems and improving customer service is borne by the customers themselves. In this case, the customers are legal immigrants applying for citizenship, or U.S. citizens petitioning to bring their families to the U.S. Congress can appropriate additional funds if it wants to, but until recently, most appropriated money has gone to expanding E-verify, the web-based employment verification system housed at USCIS. Properly applied, E-verify should be a tool to help businesses and workers streamline verification issues, but that’s not why it was getting so much money. Instead, E-verify has become the darling of restrictionists who tout it as the way to end illegal immigration once and for all. In other words, spending money on E-verify instead of say, reducing naturalization fees, makes Congress look tougher.


Digg!    Share on facebook   submit to reddit    Bookmark on Delicious   Stumble This  

See more stories tagged with: immigration

Mary Giovagnoli is the Director of the Immigration Policy Center.

Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from Immigration! Sign up now »


Advertisement
Advertisement

 

Comments Turn comments off sitewide Give us feedback »
Tools: [Post a new comment] [Login] [Signup] View:
More lies from the other side
Posted by: Brittanicus on Nov 3, 2009 3:43 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
As America suspected the House Health Care reform Bill Contains an identification mechanism that increases distress? So despite the inclusion of the Democrat so-called verification system in the latest health care bill, this identification procedure will be almost non-effective to omit illegal immigrants from accessing the taxpayer-funded afford ability credits. My thought is that this was intentional, so that the majority of illegal aliens already holding a fraudulent social security card, of a deceased person, a young child's number of even one of our soldiers fighting in some obscure country can still get access. E-Verify should be used for just this reason, along with a current government ID to spot unauthorized entrance to any health care program. See compilation of Social Security Laws http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title19/1903.htm. Sen. Sessions a champion amongst anti-illegal immigration proponents, took to the Senate floor fighting for American workers and the protection of American jobs.

When the Senate debated the bill to extend federal unemployment benefits for 14 weeks, Senator Sessions filed an amendment to permanently extend the E-Verify program. Outrageously, the Sessions amendment was stripped from the final version of the bill by the House-Senate committee members that included Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi. In the Democratic majority Homeland Security Appropriations bill, they in conclusion authorized E-Verify for just three years. Unfortunately this leaves the enforcement program pregnable to the--AMNESTY ZEALOTS? These opponents can monopolize any long-term or permanent reauthorization of E-Verify as collateral in leverage for the course of mass amnesty for the 20 to 30 million illegal immigrants squatting in this nation You guessed it?--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a motion to cut off debate--invoking cloture--on the unemployment compensation extension bill without initially giving the Senate time to vote on the Sessions amendment.


WE SHOULD INDELIBLY REMEMBER THIS ANTI-AMERICAN WORKER LEGISLATOR, AND THROW HIM FROM OFFICE IN 2010 AS HE PROVED WITHOUT ANY DOUBT FOREIGN LABOR IS MORE IMPORTANT TO HIM THAN HIS OWN COUNTRYMEN Along with House Speaker Pelosi and all Democratic leadership, they have used their influence to collude with corporate lobbyists subversive open border organizations to starve Immigration enforcement of full funding and a voice in Washington since coming to power. Yet this doesn’t mean that either Bush’s or prior administrations are without fault in securing the border or stopping the hordes of illegal aliens from breaking our laws. Recently Fifty-four Representatives sent the president a letter expressing their support for 287 G - the government training program that allows agents from the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deputize state and county law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

. Simply speaking, the cited, 287 G, was—NOT-- just designated to be confined to habitual criminals and gangs as some have purposely mislead, but constructed to let state and regional enforcement officials assist in enforcement of—ALL--immigration laws; removing illegal immigrants from the streets and highways. It could become prevalent within any city and neighborhood precincts, if that particular police department has been deputized and trained according to the 287 G program. Sadly, many cities have failed in this measure owing to the—SANCTUARY CITY—policies. If San Francisco and Los Angeles has empowered its police departments to adopt 287 G, the deaths of many innocent citizens could have been prevented. Other cities may still be held at fault, because they too had pro-illegal immigration city councils and managers who ignorantly ignored the people plea to enforce immigration laws such as 287 G?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

America is losing patience
Posted by: Brittanicus on Nov 3, 2009 3:44 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
To date the pro-illegal immigration letter signed by a group in the Democratic leadership has declared a "commitment to repair our broken immigration system" These groups have expressed a strong support for moving forward on comprehensive immigration reform--AMNESTY-- this year, which are strongly back by giant business consortium's. The signers of the letter has overseen by Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), a well-known amnesty zealot who, earlier this year, spent weekending events, pushing his AMNESTY proposition amongst congregational religion, Union halls, ethnic caucuses in his tours nationwide.

Outside of this growing distressing dilemma, my Mother-in-Law asked me if E-Verify could be used to determine the credit and background of people who apply for store leases or the purchase and renting of homes. This would be a compatible as an invaluable need with credit bureau reports, so illegal immigrants could be detected in Indianapolis. E-verify, a computerized tool has been adequately funded, which means ongoing modification and simplicity of use; along with the 1-9 paperwork. Further use could be Drivers license identification, auto registration, auto insurance, health care applications, IRS tax credits, home and store leases and renting, election voting and as of now removing foreigners from work locations?

Today we are bombarded on all sides by the inflow of foreign nationals, who in many cases can disappear leaving landlords with huge bills. E-Verify is possibly the best weapon to retaliate against illegal immigration. Senators and Representatives are all suspect, so call them at 202-224-3121. Only because of angry repercussions of THE PEOPLES response, that under intense pressure E-Verify survived. Business interests and the open border groups would have torn it away, but recognition came by thousands of blogger’s who notified the public already tired of supporting corporate welfare and their illegal alien hires and family members. It’s not over yet because thousands of piratical business and radical groups have massive financial influence on lawmakers we voted to govern us? Be aware of immigration issues and immigration enforcement grading at NUMBERSUSA, Learn about corruption lawsuits, including ACORN sleaze at JUDICIAL WATCH. AMNESTY means OVERPOPULATION that needs your urgent attention at CAPSWEB.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Do The Math
Posted by: DAD77 on Nov 3, 2009 5:14 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The real disaster started in 1986 when Ronald Reagan gave amnesty to illegal immigrants. He thought it would be only a million people; it ballooned into 3 million. This pretty much told the rest of the world, if you can avoid the law long enough, the US will eventually let you stay.

Now twenty some years later, the estimate is 12 million illegal aliens. Right now the government estimates the illegal alien population is 12 times what they thought it was 23 years ago. The real number probably is closer to 36 million based upon past experience. At this rate, in another 20 years or so the problem will be 432 million Illegal Aliens! Do the math.

How many people can we cram into the United States before the Pro-Amnesty / Open Borders groups are happy?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

WE CAN'T even trace people who came here thru customs & immigration & allowed their visas to expire!
Posted by: blurider on Nov 4, 2009 1:35 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Only a program that looks and sounds a lot like 'amnesty' to the anti-immigration zealots, has any hope of getting the undocumented to come forward, to be counted and their situation assessed.

Without something like that to bring them forward voluntarily, they will continue flying under the radar.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» So, YOU do the math! Posted by: blurider
» Reward Dishonesty Posted by: DAD77
  • AlterNetYour turn

Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.


Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.

Advertisement
Advertisement