The White House would like you to believe that if the Senate Amnesty Bill is not passed, the United States will be left with a "status quo" that is unacceptable.  I agree.  Unless we, the American people, force Congress to fund the enforcement of our current laws, we will be left with a status quo that is entirely unacceptable.  That's why we need enforcement of our current laws, not empty promises in the Senate Amnesty Bill.

The White House says the current immigration system is broken.  I don't know if it's broken, or just not being utilized.  There are so many laws on the books that aren't being enforced it's hard to tell which ones work and which ones don't.

Even though they have done nothing to enforce the current laws, they say the Senate Amnesty Bill is our best chance to move forward and fix the broken immigration system.  I disagree.  I am not confident they will enforce any measures in this new bill.  I think they should try enforcing the current laws and finishing the projects already authorized (the border fence, for example) before promising to do anything else.  We can't even trust them to build 700 miles of fence that has already been authorized, how can we trust them to fulfill all of the triggers in the new Amnesty Bill?

The White House has posted a "Consequences of Inaction" fact sheet.  Let's take a look at it.

1)  The Bill Contains Tough New Border Security And Enforcement Measures.

* The Bill Commits The Most Resources To Border Security In U.S. History.

The bill includes border security triggers such as: increasing border fencing and vehicle barriers at the Southern border; increasing the size of the Border Patrol; installing ground-based radar and camera towers along the Southern border; and ensuring that resources are available to maintain the effective end of "Catch and Release" at our border.

* The Bill Improves Our Laws To Better Safeguard National Security And Prevent Future Illegal Immigration.

The bill:

* Allows the government to detain dangerous criminal aliens who cannot be removed from the U.S. because no other country is willing to accept them.  Under current law, they must be released back into society after just six months.

* Gives the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice tools to keep certain aliens out of the U.S. solely on the basis of their participation in a gang.  No conviction is required -- if an individual has participated in a gang and helped "aid" or "support" its illegal activity, then he or she is not eligible for admission to the U.S.

* Substantially increases criminal penalties for repeated illegal border crossings.

* Imposes substantial new criminal penalties for passport, visa, and other immigration fraud.

* Includes several provisions that would improve coordination between Federal, State, and local governments in enforcing immigration laws and expeditiously deporting criminal aliens.

Last year, the Secure Fence Act authorized the construction of 700 miles of fence, since it passed they have built 2 miles of the border fence, and we can't even see it because so many lawmakers are sitting on it trying to hide the truth from the American people.  

Why should we believe that Congress will appropriate funding for the "increased border fencing" let alone enforce the measure, when they haven't even done what they already promised to do?  

All of the other claims to "strengthen" our laws were covered in my previous post debunking their immigration fact sheet and they are just ridiculous.  Without funding, none of these triggers will be met anyway, and it's not like we can trust our lawmakers when they promise to strengthen border security and interior enforcement.

2) The Bill Will Give Employers The Tools They Need To Verify The Work Eligibility Of Their Employees.
 
Today, we have an entire underground industry dedicated to producing fake IDs and fraudulent Social Security numbers.  If this bill is not passed, the problems of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act would persist -- employers would continue operating under a system in which they have only a limited ability to tell whether documentation is authentic.

*  The Bill Requires The Establishment Of A Reliable Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) To Help Employers Verify The Work Eligibility Of All Employees.

All workers will be required to present stronger and more readily verifiable identification documents.

* EEVS Will Allow Employers To Verify The Authenticity Of Documents By Providing Access For The First Time To Identification Photographs In Government Databases.

* EEVS Will Be Founded On Unprecedented Verification Of Information Across Numerous Electronic Databases.  These include:

* Department of Homeland Security records;

* Social Security Administration records;

* State Department passport and visa records (including photographs);

* Birth and death records maintained by State vital statistics agencies; and

* State driver's license information.

We would be naive to think that those who don't qualify for an existing visa program (whether it's a current or future one) will not be able to fake identification.  These people will try anything to remain in the United States, and it's just a matter of time before they hack the system or learn a whole new way to assume someone's identity.

That's if they even have to.

Remember, none of the "triggers" identified in the Senate Amnesty Bill will be automagically funded.  Congress will have to appropriate the funds and approve them long before anything can be enacted, and we all know where that has gotten us in the past.  (Keep thinking fence, people).

If we just allowed local law enforcement to actually enforce the existing laws and act upon them accordingly, we wouldn't need to worry about any Employment Eligibility Verification System.

Once again our lawmakers are making a promise that they most likely will not keep.

3)  The Bill Will Bring As Many As 12 Million Current Undocumented Workers Out Of The Shadows.

If the bill is not passed, these workers would remain in the shadows of our society, where they are often exploited, underpaid, and afraid to go to the police for fear of deportation.

* The Senate Bill Provides A Mechanism For Undocumented Workers With Clean Records And Steady Jobs To Come Out Of The Shadows And Be Accounted For In A Regulated System, On A Probationary Basis.

This will help keep our Nation secure by letting law enforcement officials know who is in the country and allowing immigration enforcement officers to focus their resources on apprehending violent criminals and terrorists.

* The Senate Bill Provides Greater Incentives For Employers And Workers To Follow The Law By Implementing Much Tougher Worksite Enforcement Measures. 

EEVS will give employers the tools they need to verify the status of workers they hire.  Employers who continue to hire illegal workers will face stiff new criminal and civil penalties -- for example, the maximum criminal penalty for a pattern or practice of hiring illegal workers will increase 25-fold, from $3,000 per alien to $75,000 per alien.

As I stated in my previous debunking post, why aren't we doing this now?  Why are we allowing people to live in the shadows in the first place?

Our immigration enforcement officers should already be focusing their resources, on securing our borders and apprehending those who are here illegally.  If they have no intention of fulfilling their duties now (because their hands are tied by a system that punishes them for doing so), what makes you think they are suddenly going to be able to do anything in the future?  Remember, there is no guarantee that these "triggers" will be in place <em>anytime</em> in the future.

And why do employers need more incentive to follow the law?  Shouldn't they be required to uphold the law now, as well as later?  If they aren't following the law now, what makes you think they are going to start in the future?  Seriously.  The truth of the matter is businesses want cheap labor, and they will do anything they can to get it.  If it means ignoring the law to get it, then so be it.  That won't magically change just because there are new laws on the books.  If the fear of penalty was a factor in their decision, the Senate's "great compromisers" wouldn't be suggesting an EEVS in the first place.

4)  The Bill Will Clear The Current Family Backlog And Reform The Immigration System To Better Balance The Importance Of Family Connections With U.S. Economic Needs.

Currently, applicants wait up to 30 years for green cards.  In addition, our immigration system places far too little emphasis on the skills and attributes necessary to fill the needs of our growing economy and further the national interest.

* The Senate Bill Will Clear The Current Decades-Long Backlog Of Family-Based Applications Within Eight Years.

During this time, there will be a surge in family reunification, as more than two-thirds of green cards issued will go to family members.  Even after family backlogs are cleared and the rebalancing of visas is complete, there will be more family-based green cards issued than merit-based green cards.

* The Bill Will Help Keep The U.S. Competitive In The Global Economy By Establishing A New Merit-Based System For Immigration That Is Similar To Those Used By Other Countries.

Under the merit-based system, future immigrants applying for permanent residency in the U.S. will be assigned points for attributes that further our national interest, including: skills and work experience, with added points for U.S. employment in a specialty or high-demand field; education, with added points for training in science, math, and technology; employer endorsement; ability to speak English; and family ties to the U.S.

* Once The Backlogs Of Employment-Based Applicants And Family-Based Applicants Are Cleared, There Will Be 380,000 Green Cards Available Under The Merit-Based System -- Up From 140,000 Employment-Based Green Cards Today.

This is a 170 percent increase over the current level of employment-based green cards, reforming our system from one in which about 13 percent of green cards are employment-based to one in which about 32 percent of green cards are issued through the merit-based system.

* The Bill Includes A Large, Immediate Increase -- From 65,000 Today To 115,000 For The First Year -- In The H-1B Visa Cap For Skilled Foreign Workers.

After the first year, the cap will rise and fall based on economic need, allowing it to adjust up to as high as 180,000.

Wow.  According to the grand compromisers, this bill will put a stop to chain migration, yet right there in black and white, the White House admits that there will be a surge in family reunification.  You know what that means don't you?  If the Amnesty Bill passes, we'll be offering amnesty to 12 million people, and inviting millions more to 'come on in' as well.  Talk about chain migration at it's worst.

Not only will we be offering the equivalent of amnesty to those already here, but once the backlog of green cards is complete, the number of green cards issued each year will almost triple.  The only difference is instead of calling them "employment based" green cards, they will be known as "merit-based" green cards.

The H-1B Visa cap will be almost tripled as well.

It's one thing to invite a few people to move in, but leaving the door wide open is just a little bit stupid, don't you think?

5)  The Bill Will Create A Temporary Worker Program To Alleviate Pressure On The Border And Provide The U.S. Economy With An Efficient Mechanism To Match The Skills Of Willing Foreign Workers To The Demands Of Available Jobs.

* Under The Senate Bill, A Temporary Worker Program Will Allow U.S. Law Enforcement To Focus More Of Its Resources On Apprehending Violent Criminals And Terrorists Who Pose A Threat To Our Security.

The temporary worker program will help reduce the number of people trying to sneak across our borders by providing a lawful and orderly channel for foreign workers to fill the jobs that Americans are not doing.

* This Temporary Worker Program Has The Toughest Labor Standards And The Most Robust Protections For U.S. Workers Of Any Existing U.S. Nonimmigrant Worker Program.

* Before hiring a temporary worker under the bill, an employer must first try to recruit U.S. workers for 90 days -- three times longer than any other temporary worker program.

* Temporary workers under the bill must be paid the prevailing competitive wage, which is based on the wages paid to U.S. workers, and ensures that the wages of U.S. workers cannot be undercut.

Right now, we don't know exactly how many people have crossed illegally into our country.  Passage of the Senate Amnesty Bill will not suddenly clear the border of everyone except violent criminals and terrorists.  In fact, there will be more people attempting to gain entry into our country.  They will range from those who want to sneak in and claim to have been here all along so they too can stay, to those who know they cannot gain access legitimately (because of criminal records or other factors) and sneak in the old fashioned way.  Remember, there is nothing in the bill (even with the new $4.4 billion promise of better security) that requires any money be spent on any of the triggers required by the bill.

Why is the White House suddenly willing to throw money into securing the border? Why must be accept amnesty for that security?  If they're willing to spend $4.4 billion to strengthen our border security why can't they do that first, and then consider other options, like the Senate Amnesty Bill, later?

Truth be told, the money won't be spent on securing the border, it's just eye candy for fence sitting Republican Senators who will feel better voting for the measure.

When all is said and done, we'll get no security and we'll still be stuck with amnesty... Again.

You can follow all of Slobokan's immigration posts at Slobokan's Site O' Schtuff