No back-door amnesty | www.myajc.com

Our country’s immigration system is in dire straits. It’s been described as “broken,” but in reality it has all but collapsed. Georgians see the disastrous effects of this firsthand. It has the seventh-highest illegal immigrant population in the country, an enormous strain on taxpayers and families.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration refuses to enforce existing law, has granted back-door amnesty to certain categories of illegal immigrants and has admitted it has no way to measure border security.

The Senate’s approach is a short-sighted mistake. Illegal immigration is one of the biggest crises facing our nation. Amnesty is not the solution. The Senate bill would legalize millions who have “jumped the line” and do nothing to stem the tide of illegal immigration.

It also includes provisions that would allow those previously deported to apply for re-entry. It almost entirely ignores interior enforcement. Interior enforcement includes identifying and removing individuals with expired visas. It’s estimated 40 percent of U.S. illegal immigrants are visa overstays. Without interior enforcement, there is absolutely no incentive for immigrants to follow the law and leave the country once their visas expire.

Most importantly, the bill fails to secure the border, the single most important element of addressing our illegal immigration problem. It would cede border enforcement to unaccountable bureaucrats and allow portions of the law to be written by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. This approach is similar to another “comprehensive” bill rushed through Congress — the Affordable Care Act.

We can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of Obamacare. We are witnessing fallout from lawmakers who rammed a massive bill through Congress. The Senate has taken the same pass-it-to-see-what’s-in-it tack with immigration.

via No back-door amnesty | www.myajc.com.