HR 4437 Immigration
Immigration has been a defining part of our American heritage from the very moment of this nations birth. It is by having the courage to face the challenges of a blended society that has made us the great community of one people that we are today. Immigration is a topic that is entangled into almost every facet of our lives. The pool of talent that we have invited and assembled here from throughout the world has kept this nation strong and dynamic. With each new wave of immigrants we face the hopes and fears of those that came before us, challenges of culture and of commerce.
Within the context of the war on terror and economic insecurity we are poised to face another challenge of immigration policy. In order to stop the events of 9/11, the movements and plans of 19 men would have needed to be known and accounted for by our government. When we are told that as many as 12 million people live and work in this country everyday without any documentation or oversight it makes us nervous. Every day we see more jobs crossing our border leaving for other countries while everyday we see reports of the population of illegal immigrants expanding and this also makes us nervous. It is understandable that we would turn to our government and our representatives for a solution.
House Resolution 4437 passed the house of representatives last December. Now the time has come for the Senate to debate and act on the bill. With 262 pages of detail the bills provisions have caused divisions in both parties and confusion within the public at large. In the same way that the Patriot Act tried to solve all of our security needs in one giant and overreaching bill, HR 4437 seems to hope to do for immigration policy. Every change that is made will effect the entire system. This law can’t justly or effectively address the dynamic range of issues it needs to without doing unintended damage. There are things I like in this bill, things that would help us regain some control of our immigration system. However, many items in the bill are disturbing to me. The debate of which items have value and which will do more harms is far to broad and complicated for this short column. What I am certain of, is that the complex relationship we have with our immigrant history and heritage will not be put to rest by this one piece of aggressive legislation. I urge you to look into the details of this bill. Draw your own conclusions and become part of the debate. Indecision and fear helped make the Patriot Act law. I hope we will be more diligent with the crafting of this law and we can hold true to the dreams and ideals that make this country great.
Within the context of the war on terror and economic insecurity we are poised to face another challenge of immigration policy. In order to stop the events of 9/11, the movements and plans of 19 men would have needed to be known and accounted for by our government. When we are told that as many as 12 million people live and work in this country everyday without any documentation or oversight it makes us nervous. Every day we see more jobs crossing our border leaving for other countries while everyday we see reports of the population of illegal immigrants expanding and this also makes us nervous. It is understandable that we would turn to our government and our representatives for a solution.
House Resolution 4437 passed the house of representatives last December. Now the time has come for the Senate to debate and act on the bill. With 262 pages of detail the bills provisions have caused divisions in both parties and confusion within the public at large. In the same way that the Patriot Act tried to solve all of our security needs in one giant and overreaching bill, HR 4437 seems to hope to do for immigration policy. Every change that is made will effect the entire system. This law can’t justly or effectively address the dynamic range of issues it needs to without doing unintended damage. There are things I like in this bill, things that would help us regain some control of our immigration system. However, many items in the bill are disturbing to me. The debate of which items have value and which will do more harms is far to broad and complicated for this short column. What I am certain of, is that the complex relationship we have with our immigrant history and heritage will not be put to rest by this one piece of aggressive legislation. I urge you to look into the details of this bill. Draw your own conclusions and become part of the debate. Indecision and fear helped make the Patriot Act law. I hope we will be more diligent with the crafting of this law and we can hold true to the dreams and ideals that make this country great.
posted by kamuizot at 1:01 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home