Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama both agree that immigration is an important issue for American voters. The two candidates differ on policies concerning the Iraq War and the economy, yet neither has clearly distinguished himself when it comes to immigration. In this clip, a collection of statements regarding immigration reform, McCain and Obama sound more similar than different…
Allen Wernick from The New York Daily News made two predictions this morning regarding immigration reform. Wenick believes that immigration reform will start to take shape under a new president, and result in the passing of two bills that could possibly give legal status to 2 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States. However, as Wernick also points out, there are approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., leaving more changes necessary, but unlikely.
Wernick’s predicted reform will come via the passing of two acts that have previously seen support, the DREAM Act and the AgJobs agricultural worker bill. If passed, The DREAM Act will grant temporary legal status to individuals under 30 who have lived in the United States for at least 5 years, and first took up residency in the U.S. before turning 16. In addition, those wishing to gain legal residency under the DREAM act must have a high school diploma or GED equivalence , or have attended college. Their status will become permanent if they attend college for at least two years and graduate, or serve in the military for two years. This bill is seen as a bipartisan one, and receives much of its support from universities and the military. The AgJobs worker bill is a bill backed by farmers and trade unions alike. That bill will issue legal residency to undocumented farm workers.
Wernick believes that a bill including the DREAM Act, and the AgJobs bill is passable, and may also include some reform regarding border patrol. Wernick provides different motives for Obama and McCain, but feels that each would pass the same package, even if they are doing it for different reasons. For McCain, the AgJobs worker bill is more important, as he will need to reward his supporters in the Southwest, many of whom are involved somehow in the agricultural field. Meanwhile, Obama’s presidency will require the support of the Latino community, and he will need to reward them through support of the DREAM Act.
I am in favor of passing such as package, as it is an improvement over doing nothing. However, isn’t this the same kind of piece-meal package of reform that many analysts, and politicians have spoken out against? And, is this really the best we can do? America prides itself on being a leader to the rest of world. We tout our moral compass, and speak of our great success in democracy. Can’t we expect more of ourselves, and our government?
The immigration problem is becoming number 7 on the math exam, the question that we continually save for the end because it appears too hard. We don’t really know how to start it so we just leave it as an afterthought. We try to get to it at the end, leave it blank, or just scribble something in at the last minute, hoping to get some partial credit for showing work. It’s time to confront the problem head on. We need a large scale immigration reform that sets a firm policy, and is built through bipartisanship and communication from other countries, worker unions, education officials, and business experts. It needs to be a number one priority, and not solely for business purposes.
The success of the U.S. also rests on the spirit of its inhabitants. We need to develop a stronger sense of national identity, especially in context with what is currently happening in the United States and abroad in terms of identity, and affiliation. Creating a working system to bring immigrants into the United States, as well as help them become acclimated would have great benefits. It would also unite us in knowing who should not be in America, and lend more support to immigration officials and officers who have to make tough decisions and are rarely thanked.
But, hey, at least these would be a start. But, please keep in mind, there’s still along way to go before we see either the DREAM Act or AgJobs bill become a reality.