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July 14, 2006

Breaking the Logjam?

Sen. Mel Martinez, a Republican and an immigrant, talks about how to move stalled legislation forward in an interview with Roll Call Executive Editor Morton M. Kondracke.

Improved Border Security Is Needed

Americans agree that our immigration system is broken and requires reform. While border security and employer verification require legislation, the House-Senate conference also should include a guest-worker program and address the 11 million undocumented immigrants who should not become a fugitive underclass in America.

Porous Borders Need Constant Vigilance

Five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, our borders remain vulnerable to entry by terrorists and criminals. Our Border Patrol is understaffed, overworked, poorly equipped and in harm’s way every day. Large swathes of our border remain unguarded. Major deficiencies exist in border intelligence sharing while interior enforcement against immigrants who have entered our country illegally has been anything but tough.

Citizenship Path Is a ‘Curious’ Concept

Providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants is a central part of the Senate’s amnesty bill and has been a constant theme of the president’s proposal as well. It also is a very curious concept, almost an oxymoronic one. Maybe that is why some proposals that want to earn the label “compromise solution” seek to hide it and not discuss it candidly.

Immigration Helps Make America Stronger

Should there be amnesty? Should there be a path to citizenship? These questions are the wrong questions to be asking. They simply incite passions that often prevent logic and our national interest from being the guide to American immigration law and policy.

Put Politics Aside for Real Solution

Our country is engaged in a controversial debate over immigration reform. As with every immigration debate throughout our history, emotions run high and passions run deep. The debate goes to the heart of who we are as Americans. The debate will determine who can earn the privilege of citizenship. It will determine our strength in separating those who would harm us from those who contribute to our values. It will determine the course of our national progress and economic growth. Fundamentally, this debate is about good people who come to America to work, to raise their families, to contribute to their communities and to reach for the American dream.

Controlling Population Is Essential

Anyone who has attempted to get on the Capitol Beltway during rush hour understands the pains caused by overcrowding. Sprawl, congestion and school overcrowding are some of the biggest problems that face communities, and they are all caused by rapid population growth.

Immigrant Labor Adds Benefit to U.S. Economy

There is a growing consensus that America is in need of immigration reform. The problem is that the current administration does not have a sound vision for reform and has yet to create a plan that actually gets it right. Currently, our system of failed border security, haphazard interior enforcement and under-funding must be replaced with regulations that provide real solutions in a comprehensive manner.

Action Needed to Secure U.S. Borders

For the first time in recent history, the contentious issue of illegal immigration has made Congressional compromise nearly impossible, making it unlikely that there will be any comprehensive bill passed during the 109th Congress. As a result, we’ve seen immigration-related amendments proposed to seemingly unrelated legislation by Congressmen hoping to make progress in the absence of anything else. Though Congress can’t agree on how to deal with the illegal immigrants already inside our borders, most would concur that passing legislation to secure our borders needs to happen before December or else we will have to start all over again in the 110th Congress.

Looking Beyond Borders Can Strengthen Economy

In my next life, I would like to be a demographer. To the untrained eye, demography is just a jumble of incomprehensible numbers. But I think it is the tea leaves that foretell the future. Nothing is more important than understanding demographics to understand the world we live in. It forms the basis of nearly every societal trend we see — economics, geopolitics, even religion. And there may be no realm in which demographics can make a greater impact than immigration.

Proof of U.S. Citizenship Is a Big Voting Obstacle

Instead of repairing the problem at America’s borders, there are Members of Congress who want to institute new laws for voting in federal elections. Members want American citizens to prove they are American citizens to exercise their right to vote. However, requirements are unnecessary. Already, provisions are in place preventing noncitizens from voting.