First, the debt ceiling and the government shutdown dominated the news. Now, it’s Obamacare. Soon it will be the 2014 elections. But don’t be surprised if immigration reform doesn’t come roaring back soon after. Even John McCain agrees that the minute incumbents are safely back in power, some kind of pathway to citizenship for current illegal immigrants will pass. There’s strong conservative opposition, but the Democrats want it, many moderate Republicans want it, and a lot of very powerful business interests that will benefit from a big influx of cheap, legal labor want it. One group is not on board, though: the border agents who are dealing with a surge of illegal crossings by people hoping to get into the US to take advantage of any amnesty bill. Chris Crane is President of the National ICE Council, the union for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. He just released an open letter to Congress, imploring them to reject the well-financed lobbying campaign and uphold the rule of law. Crane says the 1200-page plan was crafted without regard for the safety of America or the law enforcement community, and there was no consultation or input at all from the agents on the border who know more than anyone about what the situation is like, and who put their lives at risk every day there. Whether you support or oppose amnesty, it does make you wonder why the people who have the most firsthand knowledge of illegal immigration weren’t even consulted in writing the bill. It’s sort of like writing a massive health care reform bill without consulting doctors. But then, who’d be that crazy?
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 20:30:00 +0000
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