Reasons for Congress to Tackle Immigration Reform
After going it alone to pass an unpopular health care reform law, Democrats in Congress can’t decide whether to keep passing transformative legislation – or keep a low profile. And frankly, it’s hard to find many in Congress in either party who are eager to take on immigration reform.
Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-SC, seems to be backing away from a partnership with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, to write a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Graham says the White House hasn’t done enough to push the issue.
Still, this is the perfect time for Congress to restart the immigration debate because of…
(1) Honesty – Americans need to clear the air once and for all about illegal immigration. This is not an invasion. It’s a self-inflicted wound. Americans drive the phenomenon by hiring illegal immigrants, or turning a blind eye to those who do, or patronizing businesses that use illegal immigrant labor.
(2) Liberation – Congress has long been afraid of an issue that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has called the “new third rail” of politics. If you touch it, you die. Democrats don’t have to be afraid anymore. Because of health care reform, the opposition is already coming after them. Why not try to get more done?
(3) The Economy – Opponents of reform claim that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from U.S. workers and that the reason this is happening is because the undocumented are easily exploited and so they enjoy an unfair advantage. Solution: remove the advantage by making these workers legal so they can’t be exploited.
(4) Security – In the post-9/11 era, we simply can’t people streaming across a 2,000-mile-long border between Mexico and the United States. Nor can we afford to continue to have millions of people living amongst us whose identities are unknown and intentions are unclear.
(5) Justice – A civilized society can’t keep 10 million people in a state of permanent indentured servitude just because its leaders don’t have the guts to bring them out of the shadows. If these people are willing to admit wrongdoing, make amends, and work toward obtaining legal rights, they deserve to have them.
(6) Principles – While many Americans who oppose reforms do so in good faith, there are those guided by base instincts such as racism or xenophobia. Those people can’t be allowed to derail reform, because those emotions have never been allowed to stand in the way of social progress in this country.
(7) Efficiency – Even the opponents of reform acknowledge the current system is broken and inefficient. They just have different ideas about how to fix it. The border is porous. And at the same time, it’s nearly impossible to migrate to the United States legally from a country such as Mexico.
(8) Prosperity – We’ve raised one, perhaps two generations of Americans who eschew hard work because they think they’re entitled to something better. In order for our economy to survive in the age of globalization, we need to draw workers from around the world and the current system doesn’t allow for that.
(9) Courage – The real crisis is in Congress, and it’s a shortage of moral courage and an unwillingness to take on tough subjects that make enemies. Everyone wants to be popular, and so no one wants to lead. As with health care reform, this is an opportunity for members to show the country that they are worthy of their title.
(10) Tradition – A country of immigrants has a special burden to welcome and offer a second chance to those who have to feel as if they flee their own country for the promise of a brighter tomorrow. It’s part of the American fabric, and it’s a tradition that has served the United States very well for more than 200 years.
And that’s for starters. There are plenty of good reasons for Congress to take on immigration reform next – and no good reason to take a pass.
Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, a nationally syndicated columnist, and a regular contributor to CNN.COM.
