Wall Street Journal, Page One: Border Enforcement Works.
{Guest post by See-Dubya}
There’s just no getting around the fact that employer verification (they cover some of the same ground on Arizona’s E-Verify that I did the other day) and enforcement is having an effect*:
In recent years, the government has dramatically increased the number of agents on the ground and boosted security by erecting vehicle barriers, three-layer fences and cameras at the border. It has also launched an initiative to prosecute and ensure jail time to unauthorized border crossers who previously were returned to Mexico only to try to re-enter within hours.
“We are controlling our border,” said Ramon Rivera, assistant chief for the border patrol in Washington.
Well, let’s not go that far…but there are more encouraging signs, including the higher costs charged by coyotes.
The economy is having an effect as well, and likely a far greater one than the modest enforcement upgrades we’ve managed to deploy so far. The troubles in the housing market, especially, mean fewer new houses are being built, and fewer illegal workers are demanded by the construction industry. So at the same time the initial costs of getting to America are being raised by enforcement, the profitability of making the journey has been lowered by economic factors. No wonder fewer people decide to do so.
But what really caught my eye in this article is its description of the effect this will have on the 08 elections:
To the extent that the drop in apprehensions could be attributed to tougher border efforts, it could help Republicans who are campaigning this election year on an immigration crackdown. It could also embolden proponents of tougher laws, such as the one passed in Arizona, that impact both illegal immigrants and the businesses that employ them.
I think I would have written that sentence a little differently–I’d have said it “could help those Republicans who are campaigning this election year on an immigration crackdown.” Because there aren’t that many of them, are there?
At the same time, ebbing numbers of new illegal immigrants could help defuse a tough election-year issue. Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has sewn up the Republican presidential nomination, has recovered from accusations that he isn’t tough enough on illegal immigration, but he still faces doubts from within the party’s base.
Hmm. Anyone heard from Juan Hernandez lately?
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* Google News work-around link to the full article here.
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Categories: Border Patrol, Employer Sanctions, Immigration, John McCain
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This is really a big part of control. Take away incentives for crossing illegally.
Yeah. What could have potentially helped Republicans is now gone. We’ve reached across the aisle so far that I cannot tell the Republicans from the Democrats. They’ve been liberalified(I just made that word up!) but still - many Republican leaders have forgotten what it means to be a Republican. And one “Republican” (McCain) never truly ever was a Republican.
Thomas Sowell said it best:
So true.
Quick build the fence while they are waiting for the economy to pick back up!
Senator McCain? Build the fence. Hello?
[crickets]
But… but… amnesty!
Here’s hoping for many more stories like this before the General election. McCain has positioned himself as “somewhat sucking” on this issue, as opposed to the “total suckage” that he exhibited before. Hillary and Obama remain in the “industrial floorvac” category.
Punishing people who hire illegals lowers the number of illegal aliens? Really? Who’d a thunk it!
Senator McCain? Build the fence. Hello?
Remember, Kaos, he did promise to build the @#$%& thing if we wanted. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy will all help him do it.
Let’s see how our Congresscritters are voting with respect to illegal immigration… shall we?
Way to distort the main message of the WSJ piece See-Dubya.
Title of piece:
Economy and stricter laws main reasons, increased security tertiary:
Judging by the graph, I tend to think the economy is the greatest factor. Why the large decline from 2000-2002? Hint: What was our economy like then?
If you go on ‘Facts on the cost of illegal alien invaders, Coalition against illegal immigration’, it tells how the illegals are moving back to Mexico or other states who don’t have enforcement at the state level. It is going to have to be up to the states to get this done, not the Fed’s as it appears. A fence would be great. Mexico is all bent out of shape having to deal with the in-put of Mexican’s moving back. Gotta love it!
L
TOS–
From my post:
But you also can’t read that article–especially the part about Yuma–and conclude that enforcement isn’t significant.
Is this the first sighting of the O RLY bird at MM.com?
Alohaguy is right on. It’s all about employer verification. If you’re illegal, you don’t work. If you don’t work you can’t make a living here. If you can’t live here then you won’t live here. Let’s get a national biometrics system going, and make it tamperproof.
The congress critters-vermin could fix the problem tomorrow. They don’t want it stopped.
Ask your mayors why the leaders of the chamber of commerces’ are pro-illegals and not pro American citizens.
Time to start writing my State legislatures to try to move on this again. It died in committee in both houses a few weeks ago. With the new information from Michelle it will at least give me some great facts to pound them over the head with. The up side in Idaho folks have started to drop a dime on those that employe illegals. Last week we had an ICE sweep at a Homedale pallet manufacturing facility netting 13 illegals each found to be identity theives with forged documents. I still want a triple layer border fence with vehcile barriers along with a national employee database. If the IRS can hunt anyone down to make them pay their taxes I’m sure they could come up with a workable database validating a person’s SSAN.
How about taking that anchor baby magnet too!
Correct. Jobs, the jackpot baby program, and lest we forget, corruption in Washington are the prime causes of illegal migration. When people like Jorge Bush, Juan McCain, Dick Durbin, Baksheesh Obama, Hillary Clinton, et. al., encourage non-enforcement of immigration laws because they’re on the business pad or want votes, it isn’t much different from the police overlooking gambling, drugs, and prostitution because they’re on the pad of gangsters, except it’s worse because it goes to the very sovereignty of our nation.
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed.. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table…everywhere.
Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn’t even sit on my own back porch anymore.
I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be…quite, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now lets see…our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen.
Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services. Small apartments are housing 5 families. You have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor. Your child’s 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn’t speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box. I have to press “one” to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than “Old Glory” are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it’s time for the government to take down the bird feeder.
Paul R. Gellentien
the anchor baby decision was a wrong liberal court interpretation of the amendment. Had nothing to do with illegal aliens having babies in the country. Yes! fix it.
#16 Has nothing to do with liberal court decision. it has to do with Congress enforcing the constitution! Congress controls immigration!
I saw an article yesterday about an illegal pregnant mother that had to have a c-section. The cost to the American taxpayers, $4,700. The article goes on, it’s a ‘better’ life that American taxpayers help pay her, she said. She is no longer fearful of being deported because her child is now an American citizen. Her husband and two other kids are here illegally now also. NOW, isn’t this special? This happens thousands of time a year. Might I suggest we get someone to deal with this???
L
If you want someone to “deal with it” , you better look elsewhere…because our illustrious politicians have no desire to fix the problem. The American people have shouted to have this problem fixed over and over again….nothing gets done and Chertoff does his duty which is plain “DOODY”…..Nada, nothing just more talk and no action. The SAVE ACT sits and languishes because the American people are IGNORED…..I called my congressmans office today ..delahunt in MA and the aid was a new intern from GERMANY!! Hey Time to find a new country as this one is on the way out!
Well, now if The Witch or Obama gets elected, each child will get $5,000, free Pre-K, Free College, Free Healthcare, Housing subsidies, special tax credits- or even better- refundable tax credits. Hell, they may even get free Carbon Credits. And there still won’t be a fence.