Ten questions I copied from a radio host's website. Good questions indeed.
1. There's a backlog of up to 6 million status change applications at ICE. ICE cannot locate 636,000 absconders whose cases have been adjudicated and who are supposed to be deported. GAO after GAO report has found that the ICE and Department of Homeland Security are bureaucratic disasters. So the question is, how will these bureaucrats handle tens of millions of more cases?
2. The bill provides that these bureaucrats will have only one business day to conduct security checks for each applicant. The federal government is incapable of conducting millions of security checks in such a time frame. So, how will these security checks be accomplished in one business day?
3. After the one business day, the bill provides that the government SHALL confer a probationary legal status on the illegal alien. If that's not amnesty, then how do you define amnesty?
4. If an illegal alien "renounces" his gang status, that's sufficient for receiving probationary legal status. How will you make sure that such a person is not, in fact, a gang member before conferring legal rights on him?
5. The bill allows for chain migration for EIGHT YEARS before a point system kicks in. You ask what we're supposed to do with the up to 20 million illegal aliens who are already in the country, and yet you provide for 50 to 80 million more aliens to enter. So, you're really talking about legalizing tens of millions of new aliens, including aliens who aren't even in the country yet. What is you public policy justification for this?
6. How can you deny that legalizing and importing tens of millions of mostly poor and illiterate aliens from the Third World won't be an economic catastrophy for the Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps and other entitlement programs? Even Milton Friedman said he would favor open borders but for the fact that to do so would be to massively expand the size of the federal government.
7. How can you deny that legalizing and importing tens of millions of mostly poor and illiterate aliens from the Third World won't drive more hospitals out of business and place enormous financial burdens on our school systems?
8. Why should American citizens believe you are serious about border security when the bill does NOT require more beds for temporary detention, more prison beds, or more fencing. In fact, CURRENT LAW requires more detention and prison space and more fencing than this bill provides.
9. The bill provides for a very low threshold when it comes to the kinds of documents you need to claim amnesty -- such as records from day labor centers, labor unions, "sworn declarations" from any non-relative (a co-worker or friend will do). How can the bureaucracy possibly determine the integrity of any of these documents?
10. The bill provides for free legal counsel paid for by the taxpayers of this country. Isn't this a boondoggle for the trial lawyers and doesn't this open the entire process to activist judges?
) so as to ensure continued linguistic isolation, etc, etc. Government sanctioning and intensification of this phenomenon can only lead to trouble down the road.
The answer is maybe to simplistic for politicians.