With the Democrats in firm control of Congress and the White House, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is serving as point person for immigration reform and is showing no indication of wasting time.
That's good because the issues surrounding making changes to the country's immigration policies have been identified and debated ad nauseam. It is definitely time for action, but Schumer and his fellow Democrats must put a premium on enforcement and security as they also seek to put illegal immigrants on a path to legal recognition - and to make it easier for sought-out, highly skilled workers to enter the country.
Schumer, who chairs the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, recently told the Associated Press he expects to have a bill ready by Labor Day. He hopes to see it approved this year, though, with so many other sweeping pieces of legislation on the table - including broad health care and energy policies - this timetable might be a bit optimistic.
President George W. Bush made a considerable effort to get comprehensive immigration reform, but Congress was only willing to approve construction of about 700 miles of fence along the U.S./Mexican border to bolster security. Broader initiatives, such as dealing with the approximate 12 million illegal immigrants in this country by giving them legitimate ways out of the shadows, were irresponsibly ignored.
President Barack Obama has backed the sound effort to put illegal immigrants on a rather long road to permanent residency by establishing a "guest worker" program. They would not be given amnesty; instead, they would have to pay fines and fees and pass a background check just to receive a temporary visa. A program along these lines is clearly needed. But Obama also needs to demonstrate he is tough on security and those who continue to violate the law.
Web employee verification a good start
On a positive note, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has announced that, effective Sept. 8, businesses wanting federal contracts would have to use E-Verify, a Web-based system, to check whether their employees are legally working in the United States.
Bush pushed this initiative shortly before leaving office, and the Obama administration conducted a six-month review and has decided to go along with it. But Homeland Security officials also announced they are dropping another Bush administration proposal - this one forcing employers to fire any workers whose Social Security information did not match the records of the Social Security Administration. While the so-called "no match'' rule has been challenged in court, the administration should not abandon the idea if discrepancies in the Social Security database can be cleaned up - and if a fair review and appeals system can be put in place. "No match'' challengers have effectively argued the database contains errors that could have cost thousands of legal workers their jobs.
Especially with the economy suffering and unemployment rate close to 10 percent, the administration owes it to the American public to ensure jobs are going to American workers and that immigration enforcement efforts are being taken seriously. At the same time, however, the country should not continue to ignore that about 12 million illegal immigrants are here already - and building a fence around the country, even if it could be done, doesn't address this massively complicated issue. Only comprehensive reform can do that.