Yet Another Example...

[filkertom]

... of how fuckin' dumb Congress is:

Senate Republicans and Democrats closed in on a last-minute compromise Thursday on legislation opening the way to legal status and eventual citizenship for many of the 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

[...]

While final details were not available, in general, the compromise would require illegal immigrants who have been in the United States between two years and five years to return to their home country briefly, then re-enter as temporary workers. They could then begin a process of seeking citizenship.

Illegal immigrants here longer than five years would not be required to return home; those in the country less than two years would be required to leave without assurances of returning, and take their place in line with others seeking entry papers.

Hey, great idea! All we have to do is ask them how long they've been here.

Wait.

Okay. We can verify it with their documen-

Hold it.

Okay. Okay. Their employment rec-

...

...

...

So, who exactly thought this one through...?

Comments

[kosaginolegion.livejournal.com]

Shhh. Don't tell 'em. You'll blow the trick.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

*blink*

Okay, when did Larry Curly & Moe start drafting stuff for your government?

[catchild.livejournal.com]

when bush took power

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Of course, it all makes perfect sense now...

Larry, Curly, Moe & Bush !! They dropped him because the name was a bit to unweildy and he went into poitics, so when they retired from show business, he found jobs for his old mates...

[cwsensation.livejournal.com]

Wow. Yeah, there's further proof. Congress is the opposite of progress.

--Jer

[umbran.livejournal.com]

Once you've got an alien in hand, verifying how long they've been here may be time consuming, but is not technically difficult - enough questions asked of enough people and you can get at an answer. A private investigator with only the most basic of skills can do it, given a bit of time.

Though, honestly, I expect an implementation that puts the burden of proof upon the illegal alien: Provide evidence that satisfies the authorities that you've been here long enough, and we let you go. If you cannot provide satisfactory proof, we assume you're a short timer and ship you back.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know they can brute-force it. But there are an estimated eleven to twelve million undocumented aliens out there. It might take a few minutes.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

Yes. But is there anything constructive to be done with 11 or 12 million people who are taking up public resources but not paying taxes into the system that can be done fairly, quickly, and cheaply?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Force their employers to get them into the system and give them a decent wage, rather than keep them scared and pay them under the table.

Sorry, but this is something I hear on a wide range of subjects. Y'know what our taxes are supposed to do? Pay for stuff like this. Implementation of different programs. If there wasn't so much corporate giveaway with taxes, and we could get the undocumented workers into the system, all of it would literally pay for itself.

Get 'em into the damn system, and then sort out their status. They're here, they have to eat, they want to work, and it's too insanely difficult and expensive to deport them out of hand, so at least start the process and let 'em prove themselves. Meanwhile, get their damn bosses to stop exploiting them. So they get less profit. Boo-frickin'-hoo.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

The "proving how long you've been here" provision troubles me less than the "go back to your hostile homeland and good luck not being killed or imprisoned before you can get back out."

I wonder how many people who thought this compromise was a good idea wanted to keep Elian Gonzalez in this country.

[kimpire.livejournal.com]

Presumably the "default option" of unless-they-can-prove-otherwise is less than two years, so the burden of proof is on them to demonstrate that they've been here longer? Although that brings up all sorts of innocent-until-proven-guilty questions...

[druidsfire.livejournal.com]

Well, there is more than a little fact to the stereotype of the rich and powerful using illegals as cheap labor.

I mean, imagine if the rich and powerful suddenly had to hire legal workers at American rates to clean their toilets!!! The economy would collapse! Dogs and cats, living together... MASS HYSTERIA!!!

*ahem*

:)

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

Which brings up an interesting point. I wonder how difficult it would be for a rich employer of illegal immigrants to "convince" DHS (or whoever) that their employees have been in the country long enough to be permitted to remain?

[codevixen.livejournal.com]

Why would they have to go home? Couldn't they just start papers in motion, since they're going to be guaranteed a way back anyway?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Because we fear the mutant.

You think I'm kidding.

Seriously. The only reason I can come up with at all is 'cause we don't like damn furners.

Well I know who did NOT think it up

[capplor.livejournal.com]

Gilbert & Sullivan, who understood while writing Pirates of Penzance that if an unprovable lie will greatly improve your circumstances, most of us would lie.

("We never attack orphans, ....and everyone we encounter is an orphan")

The Movie Version uses this as the greatest callback since "He's Jack"

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

When you say "orphan"....

Re: The Movie Version uses this as the greatest callback since "He's Jack"

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

MG: Do you mean "orphan", a person who has lost his parents, or "often", frequently.

PK: Oh! I see what you mean! Frequently.

MG: You said "often", frequently.

PK: No, I only said it once.

MG: Exactly! You said "often", frequently, only once! *wince*

PK: SIEZE THAT MAN!

(This is on my office wall.)

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

With most political issues, in my own arrogant mind, I think it would be easy to solve the problem if people would just shut up, listen to my sage advice, and follow it. The immigration debate is a tough one for me. We clearly do need to have a sensible legal path for immigrants to come in and, if they're willing to do what they should, become full citizens. But at the same time it does bother me to have so many people breaking the law -- both immigrants and the people who knowingly employ them -- and getting rewarded for it. It really is unfair to let the guy who snuck in illegally become a citizen before the guy who wanted to come but stayed away out of respect for the law. It also is unfair for the business who exploited undocumented workers to get away with outcompeting his competitor who had to pay more for labor because he followed the rules.

[naja-pallida.livejournal.com]

Well, actually, the vast majority of illegals in the country came here by plane or car and just overstayed their visas. In those cases, usually their entry date is documented in US immigration records. It is a gross misconception that most illegals came here by fording the Rio Grande and hiking through the desert - while that does happen, it is MUCH easier for them to enter legally as a tourist and just not leave. :P

Though, I still think the system is ridiculous and Congress has thus far refused to actually improve the infrastructure of the US immigration system, which is already backed up a good year or two on common cases. This is going to make it even worse, and as before, the only people who will get through with any expediency are those with money to burn. It is still easier for them to just stay illegal and keep doing what they've always been doing.