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That
is especially curious since Members of Congress are
usually famous for being able to read which way the
political wind is blowing. In this case, however,
it appears they would be well served to commit to
reading the results of a recent, reputable bi-partisan
national survey of voter attitudes on immigration.
What
its findings show is not at all startling, and is indeed
testimony to the common sense of US Americans.
With
solutions to border, immigration, and guest worker
issues so logical and obvious, it can only be the
handiwork of feuding
Washington special
interest groups to have befuddled and complicated what
is clear and simple.
Most
noteworthy for Congress among the findings is that
two-thirds of all voters say they would be more likely
to vote for a candidate who favors the type of
immigration approach identified in the survey!
Here
are highlights from the findings of a bi-partisan poll
on immigration taken in March by Republican pollster
Lance Tarrance, and Democratic pollster
Celinda Lake, commissioned by the National Immigration
Forum.
The
survey shows that fully 75% of likely voters favor a
proposal with the following components:
P
Registration of
undocumented workers as temporary guest workers,
P
Temporary work visas
for seasonal and temporary workers,
P
Provides newly
registered workers with a multi-ear process for legal
residency and eventual citizenship,
P
Provides newly
registered workers with no preferential treatment for
citizenship,
P
Provides penalties for
workers or employees who violate these laws
P
Puts a priority on
reuniting close family members.
Seems logical and fair enough! Which is
undoubtedly why it enjoys the support of 78% of
Republicans, 77% of Independents, and 70% of Democrats,
and 70% of Hispanics and 78% of whites, alike.
Moreover, 69% of likely voters said they would be more
likely to support a Congressional candidate who favored
a comprehensive approach to reform, rather than the
ad-hoc, piecemeal approaches currently working their way
through Congress. Enforcement-only strategies miss
the point, and the majority of people recognize them for
what they are: emotional reactions that do not
recognize nor solve the problem. Everyone
recognizes that the system is broken and needs to be
fixed. But let’s not make the cure worse than the
disease.
Most
Americans, including myself, have legitimate concerns
about the need to keep our borders secure from
terrorists. This is no trivial concern in a
post-September 11th world in which our intelligence
services continue to uncover evidence of terrorist
intentions.
Our
message to Congress should be this: “Let’s
prioritize this issue! Let’s bring together the
political leadership of both nations, immigration
leaders, Hispanic leaders, and other interested parties
to start hammering out the framework of a reform
proposal that is comprehensive, bipartisan, fair and
worthy of the people of two great nations. Why not
create a U.S.-Mexico Congressional Summit in
Washington, D.C. that brings some sanity out of the
chaos?”
I
believe it is time now for Congress to put the issue of
immigration on a front burner before the next election
cycle causes the issue to become mired in election-year
politics.
Fair,
pragmatic, bipartisan, comprehensive-yet-fairly-simple
solutions are possible. The time is now for
Congress to wake-up and lead on immigration reform.
Survey results clearly show the American people stand
prepared to politically reward those do so. |
