IN THE ARENA

Let’s Deal With Reality and Pass Immigration Reform

By SHELDON G. ADELSON June 19, 2014

Radio show hosts and political pundits are suggesting that the primary election defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is the final nail in the coffin for passing immigration reform in this session of Congress. They surmise that other Republicans will be especially reluctant to tackle the issue for fear of losing political support.

If we are led to believe that the results of a local election with 12 percent voter turnout in a single congressional district (one out of 435) with a mere 65,000 votes cast is all that it takes to disrupt a necessary and important national policy debate, then America is in big trouble—not just on this issue, but on a whole range of issues.

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I certainly hope that is not the case.

As a Republican, it’s my view that efforts to complete immigration reform should be led by our party. Some on the outer fringes of the GOP may disagree, but the truth is we are humans first and partisans second. Frankly, the Democrats don’t have a monopoly on having hearts.

While I do not practice or promote illegal behavior, the reality is that 11 million illegal immigrants are currently in this country. Let’s face it, the United States does not have a process—real or imaginable—to deport 11 million people from within our borders. Those who favor the deportation of every person here illegally must understand that this position simply is not realistic. There is no wave of a magic wand that could accomplish such a task. Nor should there be.

Most of the immigrants who are here illegally came for the same reason as those who are here legally—a chance to make a better life for themselves and their families. They came heeding the famous words of poet Emma Lazarus that have welcomed generations of immigrants, including my parents, to the United States as they pass the Statue of Liberty and her golden torch: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free … Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.”

Poll after poll shows the majority of Americans support immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship. So, let’s put the political nitpicking aside and deal with the situation.

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Let’s start by instituting a process in which all undocumented immigrants receive permits to legally work here. Let’s provide them with the opportunity to get driver’s licenses and bank accounts—simple things that we all take for granted. The immigrants here illegally need jobs, want to work and are willing to take on jobs that are not appealing to many Americans. Additionally, many of them are exploited because of their illegal status in this country.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3870512&forum_id=2#35234048)

i'm all for setting immigration policy by popular referendum. what say you libs?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3870512&forum_id=2#35234074)