BY MICHAEL S. JOHNSON
“Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.”
There is as much truth as humor in those words from my friend and former colleague Bob Orben, a brilliant political speechwriter and comedy script craftsman (sometimes they are one and the same, but I digress).
The point is that Americans have been both immigrants and native population. Many of us are the progeny of immigrants. But despite our heritage, we still struggle with immigration, both legal and illegal, how we feel about it and what we should do or not do to integrate new arrivals into a burgeoning and diversifying American society.
Immigration has been a vexing part of our lives since settlers first arrived here centuries ago. At the gateway to New York harbor stands the Statue of Liberty with this at her feet:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
You huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
We say it, but were not sure if we believe it. The issues of immigration are tough. They tear at America’s desire to be a generous, welcoming and nurturing people and our instincts of self-preservation and ownership that have grown from our continental isolation from the rest of the world. We are particularly schizophrenic about those who have flooded our borders by crawling under the fence. Now there are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in this country.
The rush of illegal immigration over the past several decades has only exacerbated the conflicts in values and politics. The negativity has emanated from four problems.
One is crime. According to the Congressional Research Service last year illegal aliens who have been released from custody between 2008 and 2011 have been charged with 16,226 subsequent crimes, from murder to rape. There is a link in perceptions between illegal immigration and drug trafficking, as well. The Washington Times reported in 2010 that the federal government “posted signs along a major interstate highway in Arizona…warning travelers the area is unsafe because of drug and alien smugglers.”
Two is jobs. In a downturned economy, the perception that illegal aliens are stealing jobs from legal citizens grows in intensity with each passing unemployment report.
Three is the strain on tax-supported services such as education, health and welfare. There are almost twice the number of immigrants on Federal support programs as the rest of the population, according to one study. Congressman Ric Keller says the presence of illegal immigrants costs taxpayers $45 billion a year.
Fourth is the issue of simple fairness for those immigrants who enter this country legally and work for years to attain precious citizenship.
The only good news on the immigration front has been the result of bad news. Illegal crossings at our borders are down, but primarily because of our bad economy and the lack of jobs.
Political leaders have tried to resolve the issues. President George W. Bush made a landmark effort in 2007, but his plan was rejected by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress for a variety of reasons.
Now, however, there is new reason for optimism. Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and many different perspectives have been talking and negotiating for months and may be close to resolution.
A bipartisan group of Senators was expected to announce on Monday, Jan. 28th a new agreement in principle on a national immigration policy, according to news accounts.
There are other indications that a bipartisan group of House members may not be far behind.
The Senators, Durbin, Schumer, Menendez, McCain, Graham, Flake and Rubio, may have consensus on several key issues including a work program, a temporary residency program, a path to citizenship, expansion of green cards, border enforcement, and special consideration for children brought here illegally by their parents.
Since the Bush initiative, immigration has been hijacked by the extremes in American politics and the media, interest groups and partisans who saw both dollar signs and political profits in exploiting division and dissent. The issue has surfaced in the 2010 and 2012 national elections, but raising the issue in that environment, guaranteed nothing serious would come of it.
The President launched a new public relations campaign in his inaugural address, citing immigration among other issues he was going to take back on the campaign trail to fortify with his electoral magic and that illusionary mandate of his. His first stop will be in Nevada. The President could just as well not go and save the taxpayers a very expensive plane ticket. He is behind the momentum curve and he has amply demonstrated already that he is usually incapable of bringing to closure a complex and controversial issue in divided government. He could just as easily compound the problem as fix it by getting involved at a partisan, political level. Well, maybe were better off with him on the road. I don’t know.
Immigration problems are daunting, but not insurmountable and the solutions, as the Senators have found, are there. They must be aired and adjudicated. Then they must be written into legislative language, which can be the most difficult. But the solutions do exist for policy makers who have the courage to embrace them, defend them and get them passed. The country is out of time. We can and must achieve what political pro Kevin Madden described as an “aspirational, modernized immigration system.”
The American people, although divided, support resolution, according to a number of polls, including a recent CNN survey. The 2012 election results made it clear that most Americans are solution oriented and would like those they elected to govern on their behalf. It seems the door is open.
If the Senators can reach consensus, they will probably have a receptive audience in the House, with House Speaker John Boehner sitting in the front row. He supports immigration reform and has always looked at stronger enforcement at the border, which continues to be a problem, as only one part of a larger solution.
Governing over gridlock.
As Washington radio commentator Chris Core is so fond of saying, now that’s a core value.
Editor’s Note: Mike Johnson is a former journalist, who worked on the Ford White House staff and served as press secretary and chief of staff to House Republican Leader Bob Michel, prior to entering the private sector. He is co-author of a book, Surviving Congress, a guide for congressional staff. He is currently a principal with the OB-C Group.