• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About

Radio America Online News Bureau

Immigration Battle Awaits Congress Upon Return

August 23, 2017 by GregC

http://dateline.radioamerica.org/podcast/8-23-camarota-blog.mp3

Along with tax reform, the debt ceiling, spending bills, and maybe another crack at health care legislation, Congress also has the chance to address immigration policy, and a leading advocate of tougher immigration standards says compromises can be made so long as the most important elements wind up in the final bill.

Center for Immigration Reform Research Director Steven Camarota says President Trump has already improved our homeland security and positioned the country better for reform simply by enforcing the laws on the books.

“Having Trump in there, whatever else you may think of him, he’s pushing enforcement.  He’s going after illegal immigrants and those who are criminal aliens.  He’s trying to increase work site enforcement and get the cooperation of local law enforcement.  All of that makes sense and that’s a very big deal,” said Camarota.

But he says enforcement of current laws only goes so far.

“It doesn’t do that much to address the overall issue of numbers.  How many people can we assimilate?  What is the absorption capacity of America’s physical infrastructure?  What is the absorption capacity of schools?  That’s why numbers all matter so much,” said Camarota.

“Unless we start bringing the legal numbers, which are enormous and account for three-fourth’s of all immigrants, we’re not going to deal with many of the problems the country faces stemming from immigration,” said Camarota.

Earlier this summer, President Trump introduced the RAISE Act, which most notably lower levels of legal immigration and also require immigrants to be able to support themselves financially and be proficient in English.

A quick head count of the Senate shows that bill essentially dead on arrival.  In  addition to most or all Democrats lining up against the legislation, several Republicans are also balking at it, including members of the 2013 Gang of Eight, such as John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

But Camarota believes a good bill can still get done and he is willing to offer a major priority of Democrats as enticement.

“One of the ways it might pass is if it were part of a compromise that gave some kind of legal status to those illegal immigrants who came at young ages in return for the provisions of the RAISE Act.  These are the people currently covered by the program called DACA (often called ‘Dreamers’),” said Camarota.

But Camarota was very clear about what he believes needs to be in the bill.

“Obviously, (we need) enforcement, controlling the border, going after the employers who hire people who are illegally here, and an entry-exit system that records the arrival and departure of people,” said Camarota.

“Foreigners come into the United States 200 million times or more a year on a time-limited basis.  That means they have a temporary visa, a tourist, a guest worker, a foreign student.  We don’t keep track of the time we’re here, so we don’t know if the time limit has been honored,” said Camarota.

Camarota would also like to see a much stricter definition of family members who can be allowed in, primarily limiting the option to spouses and dependent children.

However, he also says the benefits of immigration to the immigrant, and not just the nation, ought to considered.

“I realize that the immigrants themselves may benefit by coming here and maybe that’s something to think about.  Maybe that’s why we should continue to have a reasonable pace of immigration.  But it doesn’t, to my mind, justify, the enormous amount of legal immigration, nor does it justify tolerating illegal immigration,” said Camarota.

The immigration issue is a political tinder box right now.  The debates over the Trump travel bans grew very intense that will likely spill over into this struggle.  Camarota says Trump brings good and bad qualities into this debate.

“To his credit, Trump has at least been willing to address some of the big issues.  Not to his credit, he has not done so in a careful and sensitive way and he’s contributed in that way to polarization,” said Camarota.

But he says it’s not just Trump who has to take a more sober look at this debate.

“Careful, intelligent, fact-based discourse is hard for most people and a polarized environment makes it harder,” said Camarota.

Standard Podcast [ 7:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Share

Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: enforcement, immigration, legal, news, Senate, Trump

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Recent

  • Good: The Economy; Bad: The Climate Bill; Crazy: The Ballot
  • Why Gas Prices Are Down, Businesses Bailing on Taiwan? Maloney’s Mea Culpa
  • Schmitt Wins in Missouri, Kansas Abortion Vote, The One China Paradox
  • Zawahiri & ‘The Flying Ginsu,’ U.S. Tensions with Ukraine, Trump Endorses ‘ERIC’
  • Pelosi vs. China, Krugman’s Media Delusion, Watson’s Suspension

Archives

  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008

Copyright © 2022 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in