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Why the Immigration Bill Failed by J. F. Kelly, Jr. 7/13/07

The Immigration Bill collapsed in the Senate as expected after a second attempt to resuscitate it failed. Politicians and pundits then eagerly engaged in a game of blame. Democrats blamed Republicans for demanding too many amendments. Republicans accused Democrats of favoring amnesty. The president blamed the Senate for missing an opportunity to give the people what they wanted.

But a comprehensive overhaul of immigration policy was decidedly not what the people wanted. It was what George W. Bush wanted. What a majority of the people wanted was much simpler, to wit: control of our borders and an end to illegal immigration. What the people wanted also was some evidence that the government could be trusted to enforce existing laws before creating new ones or attempting complex policy overhauls.

Perhaps Mr. Bush has gotten out of touch with what ordinary Americans are actually saying. They are not, for the most part, engaging in table conversation about the urgent need for a comprehensive overhaul of immigration policy, not if what I am hearing and reading about is reasonably representative. They are, rather, discussing illegal immigration and the social and economic problems it has created in their communities. And they are rather angry about it.

Their anger, moreover, is not primarily directed at the illegals, most of whom they acknowledge are hard-working, decent people who endured significant risk and hardship to sneak into this country to find work in order to feed their families. Their anger, rather, is directed squarely at the federal government for failing to remove some of the incentive by securing the border and taking action against those who exploited them for their cheap labor. The exploiters include not only agricultural businesses but also those involved in manufacturing, food processing and construction who are giving jobs to illegals that Americans, in fact, are willing to do at fair wages.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, who are far more attuned to the voices of ordinary people than are the more insulated members of the Senate and the president, know this. That is why they crafted legislation emphasizing border control and enforcement, legislation that the senate refused to consider, arguing that comprehensive policy reform was the only way to fix the problem. But this was the approach that big business and Wall Street was urging, not the average American, who was less concerned with the demands of businesses for cheap labor than with overcrowded schools, overwhelmed emergency rooms, migrant camps in city suburbs, drug and human smuggling, theft and property damage in border areas, stolen vehicles and high speed chases caused by immigrant smugglers trying to evade arrest. The people’s representatives listened to the people. The president and the senators did not.

As the politicians blame each other for failure to produce legislation, they will claim credit, of course, for at least trying as they attempt to spin this issue to their advantage in coming election campaigns. Hopefully, voters will see through this charade and pin the blame where it belongs.  Democrats will profit in the short run by gaining Hispanic votes and the Republican Party will be unfairly labeled as the anti-immigration party. In the broader perspective, however, Americans will remain angry at both branches of government for failure to gain control of the borders; a failure that permitted the problem to careen out of control. They will react accordingly at election time. Both political parties will share in the blame as voters look for leaders with the courage to apply the bolder solutions now necessary. Increasingly, they will look to their state and local governments to take the enforcement actions that the Federal government has failed or refused to take. Already, Arizona has moved in that direction.

The Immigration Bill failed in the Senate, not primarily because of conflict between the executive and legislative branches or because of polarization between Democrats and Republicans or, as claimed by liberals, the influence of conservative talk radio which, after all, is only reflecting the views of its listeners and callers. It failed, primarily, for two reasons. First, the people viewed the granting of immediate legal status to illegal aliens, albeit temporary and with conditions, as a form of amnesty. Second, it failed because the people have lost faith in their government to enforce existing laws, much less new ones. Who can blame them? CRO

copyright 2007 J. F. Kelly, Jr.

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