As predicted in the March issue of A Line of Sight, both the House and Senate are making noise about taking another shot at illegal immigration legislation. On April 9, 2007, in Yuma, Arizona, President Bush made his pitch [link] for what was labeled as a “new proposal” touting a 4-point set of principles and claiming yet again that he opposed amnesty. 

Whatever package the White House puts it in, and however they wrap it up, it sounds like much of the same:

• Add resources to secure the border
• Repatriate illegal immigrants but allow them citizenship if they pay a fine
• Create a guest-worker program to allow foreigners to work legally in the U.S.
• Improve labor law enforcement by creating a tamper-proof identification card.

Think about this. You have a President looking at the twilight of his second term that desperately wants to sign into law his “guest-worker” plan. You have a Democrat majority that is inclined to support his plan and wants to claim victory for passing something that they will claim “gets tough” with border security. And, you’ve got enough squishy Republicans that will join with them in supporting anything they come up with. 

If you’re not nervous enough, remember that the chief architect of the final solution will be Ted Kennedy - Mr. Open-Borders himself who offered that the President “did the right thing” in his remarks in Arizona. So, Kennedy’s on board…now, do you feel any better?

We are to believe that “this time” they’re serious. This time the border will be secured – laws enforced- and law breakers prosecuted. And, the invasion of illegals that has only increased over the last two decades will somehow come to an end. 

Yet, we also learned recently that in spite of all the tough talk over the last several years by both the Administration and the Congress – and surely enough outrage from the American people:

• 98% of illegals that are arrested are NEVER prosecuted [link],
• And, standard operating procedure has been to not even bring charges until the SIXTH TIME someone was caught entering the U.S. illegally [link]

I’m seldom so cynical, but as I see it the same government that has “managed” our borders by broadcasting to the world that if you enter illegally,

• You’re likely to not get caught;
• If you do, you have five more tries before you’re likely to get charged;
• If you do get charged, you’ll likely never be prosecuted;

It is that same government that now wants us to trust them to fix the problem. 

Hmm… count me among the skeptical.