U.S. deserves better, Crapo says
|
|
June 30, 2013 |
Idaho Senator Mike Crapo voted against final
passage of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic
Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act,
or the Immigration Reform bill.
The Senate has been considering the legislation
for approximately three weeks after the bill was
reported out of the Judiciary Committee.
“Throughout the history of the United States,
our immigration laws have been periodically
altered and adapted to meet our changing needs
and circumstances, Crapo said. “It is clear that
reforms are past due. However, S. 744, the
Border Security, Stabilization and Modernization
Act, would not provide the types of reform to
stop illegal immigration at the border while
ensuring fairness for both current Americans and
immigrants alike. Unfortunately, the current
Senate bill bears striking resemblance to laws
passed in 1965, 1968 and 1986. Americans need
and deserve better, and we cannot afford to
repeat the same mistakes of the past.
“The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (ICRA)
was sold on the premise that it would solve the
issues plaguing both the 1965 and 1968 attempts
at congressional reform. Sadly, these same
problems not only still exist today, but have
worsened over the past two decades. ICRA’s
proponents promised that, in exchange for
legalizing approximately 3 million illegal
immigrants, the U.S. government would finally,
and effectively, secure our border. ICRA
prescribed employer sanctions for hiring
undocumented workers, a workable guest worker
program for agriculture, and guaranteed first
opportunities for America’s unemployed labor
force. On its face, ICRA and S. 744 are
remarkably similar.
“More than 25 years later, the estimated
population of illegal immigrants has ballooned
to 11 million, and the seasonal program promised
to aid America’s farms and ranches is bogged
down in bureaucracy, rendering it largely
ineffective. Further, economists at the Council
on Foreign Relations estimate an apprehension
range of 40 to 55 percent, and the nonpartisan
Congressional Budget Office determined that the
Senate bill would only stem the flow of illegal
immigration by 25 percent. It is clear that the
border security measures contained in S. 744 are
nowhere near acceptable.
“During debate on the Senate bill, I
co-sponsored an amendment by my colleague from
Texas, Senator John Cornyn, which would have
made any legal status contingent on specific,
quantifiable benchmarks of 100 percent
surveillance and a 90 percent rate of
apprehension. I was disappointed to see this
amendment denied an up-or-down vote. Although
other alternatives did add improvements for
increasing border enforcement measures, I could
not support legislation that doesn’t ensure
results. The border must be secured, and it is
vital that we meet this requirement before
implementing any other portions of our
immigration policy.
“Congress must not only cut off the flow of
illegal entries, but also stop the rising
problem of visa overstays. These legal,
temporary immigrants never leave the country on
the required departure date, and often remain
for years due to the lack of exit
accountability. As a result, visa overstays
account for an estimated 40 percent of the 11
million undocumented immigrants in the United
States. An effective immigration policy must
also ramp up interior enforcement, not only to
ensure fairness for U.S. workers, but to
establish a system that protects the human
rights and safety of everyone within our
borders. My colleague from Louisiana, Senator
David Vitter, offered an amendment to require
full implementation of a biometric system at all
land, sea and air ports for all entering and
exiting foreign visitors. Current law only
requires fingerprints and photo identification
upon arrival at a U.S. airport. Shockingly, we
have yet to implement the type of biometric exit
system contained in Senator Vitter’s amendment,
despite the recommendations of both the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the
9/11 Commission. The Majority Leader also
refused a vote on this amendment, and S. 744
completely dismisses the need for interior
enforcement by retaining the current lax
system.” “This is yet another reason why I could
not support the bill,” Crapo added.
“I am also very concerned about the lack of
privacy measures to protect Americans from a
national ID system. Recent revelations about the
extent and breadth of government surveillance
have caused many Idahoans to question the
federal government’s continued erosion of
privacy rights. S. 744’s federal mandate to
implement E-Verify would result in a national,
searchable database of vital biographic
information and photographs of every American,
similar to a national ID system. Without proper
controls, E-Verify could be utilized in any
situation where an ID check is currently
required, including the airport, a gun shop or
voting booth. Unless otherwise directed, the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would
have the ability to maintain a database of
photos provided by participating state agencies,
essentially moving down the path toward a
national ID system. For this reason, I
co-sponsored an amendment led by Senator Jon
Tester from Montana. The amendment, which also
never received a vote, would have prohibited DHS
from keeping these photos on record.
“Finally, I have consistently maintained that no
person who breaks the law and enters the U.S.
illegally should obtain any benefit toward
either permanent legal residency or citizenship
as a result of their illegal conduct. This is
unfair both to American citizens and to those
entering through legal channels. However, the
Senate bill would allow anyone granted a legal
status to qualify for the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) for previous years in which they
were not legally authorized to work in the U.S.
My colleagues and I on the Senate Finance
Committee have long tried to reform this credit,
which allows the IRS to issue a refund of
approximately $6,000 to an illegal worker issued
an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
In Fiscal Year 2012 alone, these cash payments
exceeded $52 billion. Further, the GAO has
estimated that roughly a quarter of all EITCs
are issued improperly. Our debt crisis is an
existential threat to the future of the United
States. We cannot afford to continue issuing
this credit to illegal immigrants, and without
EITC reform I could not support the bill.
“At the core of the national character of the
United States stand two principles: One, we are
a nation of immigrants; within our borders every
culture and ethnicity in the world is
represented. Almost all who live here can easily
trace their ancestry to a foreign country. Two,
we are a peace-loving, compassionate,
law-abiding society. The United States, more
than any other country, has a stable political
and economic system because we respect the rule
of law that maintains the peace and prosperity
we enjoy. As a U.S. Senator, I have pledged to
advocate for what is best for both Idahoans and
our nation. The Senate bill is not in that
interest. We must not forget the lessons of the
1986 bill and make the same mistakes.”
S. 744 was passed by the Senate on a vote of
68-32. |
|
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
