Senate reaches immigration deal
May 18, 2007| By Nathaniel Ward
The White House has endorsed a bipartisan Senate deal that proposes to grant a legal amnesty to virtually every illegal immigrant in the United States. The deal also includes measures to augment border security, step up workplace enforcement and reform the legal means through which immigrants enter the country.
Heritage experts are still acquiring and examining the hundreds of pages that will comprise this complicated legislation. As they conduct their review, they continue to make the case to lawmakers for a sound immigration reform plan that secures our borders, enforces the law, welcomes legal immigrants, and does not provide amnesty for lawbreakers.
- Read more about the amnesty provisions from Heritage’s Brian Darling on National Review Online.
- Watch Heritage scholar Matt Spalding explain the principles of immigration reform in a recent video.
- Take our poll: Is amnesty a sound policy?
Congress and the White House should think hard before granting amnesty to illegal immigrants, since it rewards those who have broken the law. While liberals suggest amnesty is the only way to halt illegal immigration, a MyHeritage.org Myth Buster points out that it will not solve the problem:
- Amnesty only encourages further illegal entry by those who want to take advantage of the program. This makes the immigration problem worse, not better.
- Previous amnesty programs have been unable to process applicants quickly and weed out illegal aliens, especially potential terrorists. Three known terrorists, for example, exploited the 1986 amnesty.
Liberals hope to push the law through next week before they leave for the Memorial Day holiday.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
