I re-tweet on Twitter all of the time so I think it’s okay to re-blog, right? A friend of mine, Jack Camper, runs the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. I was in Tempe last week for a Western Association of Chamber Executives Board Meeting and, of course, immigration reform was a hot topic of conversation. Jack told the WACE Board that they created a comprehensive immigration policy and wanted us to share it with chambers back in our home states. So I thought I would share his blog with you. Here goes my re-blog…
Immigration Reform: A solution Arizona needs NOW! – By Jack Camper
Unless you have been away from media outlets for the last week or so, you are well aware of the emotional turmoil the Arizona legislature and Governor Brewer have kicked up with the passage of SB1070. A drastic step to be sure, but one our state representatives and senators apparently felt was critical for the overall safety and well being of our citizenry. Make no mistake: protecting our national borders is a federal—not state—responsibility. But failure to act at a national level created an untenable situation at the state level that required action. Apparently our legislature and Governor believed that SB1070 was the right solution.
Congressman Raul Grijalva compounded the problem by making the irresponsible call for businesses to boycott Arizona in response to the passage of SB1070. Here in Arizona, the housing market is still reeling, the unemployment rate for the state is at nearly 10%, and the overall effects of the recession are continuing to devastate businesses and the economy in general. His comments did not appear to address the problems that brought about SB1070 in the first place. He presented no reasonable solution with his call for a boycott.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson called out the National Guard to assist at the border. There are two problems with that decision: 1) the cost of that deployment is now incurred at the state level rather than the national level (where it actually belongs) because the call-out was generated by the Governor, not the federal government, and 2) the National Guard is severely limited in what they can and cannot do in this effort given the current laws (the Guard may only observe the situation; they cannot detain or arrest illegal immigrants attempting to cross the border, but must instead call in the Border Patrol who have the only legal jurisdiction). Governor Richardson’s action made a bold statement but again was not a solution.
The Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has a solution. Three years ago, it created an Immigration Reform Policy which was distributed to every member of Congress in Washington, D.C. It is a well reasoned and workable plan that considers economic impacts, practical logistics, as well as previous failed attempts. Although Congress chose to put TMCC’s plan on the back burner back then, it may well be time now for a closer look at our proposal. This proposed policy could create the foundation for a viable immigration reform plan.
Here is the proposal:
Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Immigration Reform Policy
Border Security
Comprehensive immigration reform legislation should be phased in, but executed as fast as possible. Legislation must detail the appropriation of funds.
Border security and enforcement must be the primary focus so as not to repeat the errors of the 1986 immigration legislation in which millions of undocumented aliens were legalized and border security was not enforced.
Adequate resources must be made available to detain and deport illegal aliens; legal reform may be necessary to hasten the deportation process. More apprehension facilities need to be constructed and all those apprehended must be identified for security purposes.
The Border Patrol should be more involved in decisions regarding the appropriate allocation of funds for border security.
Greater resources should be given to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies to identify and deport illegal aliens. Currently, there are instances where ICE will only act when there are large numbers of illegal aliens to be apprehended.
Enhance instant communication between local and federal law enforcement agencies.
Guest Workers
There should be an allowance for extended residency for guest workers, but no new path to citizenship. Existing pathways to citizenship must be used.
Any guest worker program should apply only to workers. Family members of guest workers must only be admitted under existing visa requirements.
Employers must be sanctioned for hiring illegal aliens. These penalties should be directly related to the sophistication of verification tools. If there are not sufficient verification tools to identify undocumented workers, employers cannot be fairly punished for violation of the law.
Enforcement must not be selective, but rather industry-wide to avoid driving workers from one company to another within the same industry creating unbalanced competition and no incentive to follow the law.
It is necessary that any part of a worker program must include an eligibility verification system that is close to fool-proof with a quick response to employers. The fraud-proof system must be developed by the federal government to give relief to employers.
Illegal workers must report to document themselves to receive the above-mentioned identification documents within a period of 1-2 years after enactment or they will face deportation and permanent debarment from any U.S. guest worker program.
In the event of a labor shortage, increases in caps on worker visas may be needed.
An assessment needs to be completed by the federal government to ensure that U.S. citizens are not eliminated from job opportunities by the guest worker program.
The current seasonal agricultural worker program should be continued without interruption. Ports of entry need to be expanded to expedite ingress and egress.
Mexican economic development should be included in any sort of comprehensive plan.
Audit functions should occur every two years.
Once again, the Chamber will distribute its proposed policy to every member of Congress in an effort to jog them to action. While enacting SB1070 and calling out the National Guard are extreme measures, allowing Congress to ignore the problem clearly can no longer be tolerated by those states most negatively affected by illegal immigration.
So what is the right solution? The Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce believes the answer is obvious: comprehensive and complete immigration reform. NOW!
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