{"id":6995,"date":"2014-02-10T14:45:33","date_gmt":"2014-02-10T22:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/?p=6995"},"modified":"2014-02-10T14:45:33","modified_gmt":"2014-02-10T22:45:33","slug":"republicans-go-on-an-immigration-reform-bender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/republicans-go-on-an-immigration-reform-bender\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans Go On an Immigration Reform Bender"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Bruce S. Thornton \/\/\u00a0FrontPage Magazine<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Rather than twisting the political knife in the gaping wound that is Obamacare, House Republicans are off on a \u201ccomprehensive immigration reform\u201d toot. The \"519px-Greatwall_large\"latest news has the Speaker putting off any action for now, and waiting until after the midterm elections in order not to anger the anti-amnesty base, and \u201cto goose Latino turnout or to swing purple districts\u201d in 2016, as political blogger\u00a0Allahpundit<\/a>\u00a0put it. In other words, electoral timing rather than principle is determining what happens.<\/p>\n

But principle, not to mention common sense, is what\u2019s at stake here. Anyone proposing \u201ccomprehensive\u201d anything after the debacle of Obamacare is delusional. Complex problems are not going to be solved with grandiose legislation that tries to politically please everybody. Nor are most sensible voters likely once again to play Charlie Brown to the Congressional Lucy jerking away the promised \u201cenforcement triggers\u201d and \u201cborder security\u201d football after the de facto amnesty is already in place. We went through all that in 1986, when the same promises of employer checks of legal residency and beefed-up border security were broken, more than doubling the number of illegal immigrants from 5 million to 11 million today.<\/p>\n

And please, let\u2019s stop all the delusional dreams of Hispanic \u201cnatural conservatives\u201d flocking to the GOP after the boon of amnesty is bestowed upon them. John McCain partnered with Teddy Kennedy in 2005 and 2007 to craft legislation to create a \u201cpath to citizenship,\u201d and still got half as many Hispanic votes (31%) as Barack Obama did in 2008. By the way, McCain beat Mitt \u201cself-deport\u201d Romney by a whole 4 points with Hispanic voters. Voters vote their interests, and the interests of the majority of Hispanic voters are best served by the Democrats, as evidenced by the fact that 75% percent favor a \u201cbigger government providing more services,\u201d according to a\u00a0Pew<\/a>\u00a0poll. That\u2019s why the best a Republican candidate has done with Hispanics, George W. Bush in 2004, was still 18 points behind the Democrat John Kerry, one of the least likable and most incompetent candidates since Mike Dukakis. To think that being nice will trump those interests is nonsense. And any gain that might accrue is likely to be offset by losses among the base angered at such pandering.<\/p>\n

Also ridiculous is the fear that not doing\u00a0something<\/i>\u00a0will allow Democrats to tar Republicans with the racism or xenophobia brush. Here\u2019s a newsflash: they are going to do that no matter what Republicans do. The \u201cpreemptive cringe\u201d as Margaret Thatcher called it is the worst form of defense. The only way not to be labeled \u201cracist,\u201d or accused of waging a \u201cwar against women,\u201d is to give the liberals everything they want. Rather than give in to such threats, go on offense with data detailing the enormous costs of illegal immigration in states like California. Take those hidden cameras into San Joaquin Valley emergency rooms on Saturday night, the jails and prisons, the Social Security Disability office, the stores and groceries accepting EBT cards, and the small towns stricken with hit-and-run drivers, drunk drivers, county roads turned into dumps, unregulated buildings and restaurants, and rampant theft.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are numerous illegal aliens and their children who are hard-working, law-abiding, and eager to become Americans, not remain Mexican at heart while they benefit from America\u2019s opportunity and freedom. Having lived 60 years in the San Joaquin Valley and experienced immigration legal and otherwise long before tony liberals discovered this issue, I have known many such immigrants. But in the immigration debate today, all we hear are the feel-good stories about hard-working family-values Hispanics, and nothing about the other side of the coin: the thug, the welfare leech, the thief, the law-breaker, and the gang-banger. If we are going to debate this issue honestly, then let\u2019s talk about the whole reality rather than ignoring the side that doesn\u2019t advance our political interest, whether this be more Democrat voters and welfare clients, or more cheap labor. Then explain how amnesty is going to change that behavior and lower those costs.<\/p>\n

Moreover, let\u2019s demand that the amnesty crowd explain exactly how they plan to sort out those two sets of illegal immigrants, the ones we should keep and the ones we need to kick out. Expel the felons? OK, then start with the tens of thousands already housed in American prisons. But why stop at felons? Anyone with a DUI should be gone, anyone determined to have illegally received welfare benefits or food stamps or Social Security Disability Insurance should be gone. Anyone in possession of a fraudulent Social Security Card should be gone. Anyone caught driving without a license or insurance should be gone. Anyone using hospital emergency rooms as a doctor\u2019s office for minor ailments should be gone. And anyone who thinks I\u2019m making up racist slanders needs to take a tour of the San Joaquin Valley and see the reality too many people pretend does not exist.<\/p>\n

If the Republicans want to start doing something about immigration, then build a fence on the border, period. And don\u2019t tell me it\u2019s impossible. In the 14th<\/sup>\u00a0Century the Ming Dynasty in China built 5,500 miles of the Great Wall using nothing but animal and human muscle power. Don\u2019t tell me the country that between 1940 and 1944 increased military aircraft annual production from 3660 to 96,300, that in 1942 was producing 4,000 Sherman tanks a month, 70 years later can\u2019t fence off the 1933 miles of border between Mexico and the U.S.<\/p>\n

Do that first, and when the border is secure, then start talking about what to do with the 11 million illegal aliens. Meanwhile, reform our immigration policies by getting rid of family reunification programs, and making admission to this country conditional on what the immigrant has to offer Americans, not what Americans have to offer immigrants. Start enforcing labor laws and putting teeth into sanctions against violating them. And most important, start returning to the old model of immigration that made it work for most of American history: assimilation to American political principles and virtues, facility in speaking English, and a rejection of self-loathing multicultural nonsense about American guilt and the superiority of the countries immigrants risk their lives to leave.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Bruce S. Thornton \/\/\u00a0FrontPage Magazine\u00a0 Rather than twisting the political knife in the gaping wound that is Obamacare, House Republicans are off on a \u201ccomprehensive immigration reform\u201d toot. The latest news has the Speaker putting off any action for now, and waiting until after the midterm elections in order not to anger the anti-amnesty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[111,22,16],"tags":[1014,165,164,327,268,861,440],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-1OP","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6113,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/the-senate-immigration-bill-another-legislative-disaster\/","url_meta":{"origin":6995,"position":0},"title":"The Senate Immigration Bill: Another Legislative Disaster","author":"victorhanson","date":"June 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bruce S. Thornton FrontPage Magazine The \u201ccomprehensive immigration reform\u201d bill cooked up by the Senate has a decided Obamacare stink to it. Like that disaster, the immigration bill is rushing to solve a whole host of complex problems with a massive, muddled bill few Senators will have the time\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Immigration"","block_context":{"text":"Immigration","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/immigration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":623,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/incoherent-immigration-reform\/","url_meta":{"origin":6995,"position":1},"title":"Incoherent Immigration Reform","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson Tribune Media Services Nothing about illegal immigration quite adds up. Conservative corporate employers still support the idea of imported, cheap, non-union labor \u2014 in a strange alliance with liberal activists who want the larger blocs of Latino voters that eventually follow massive influxes from Latin America.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Immigration"","block_context":{"text":"Immigration","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/immigration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8580,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/still-blind-to-the-costs-of-illegal-immigration\/","url_meta":{"origin":6995,"position":2},"title":"Still Blind to the Costs of Illegal Immigration","author":"victorhanson","date":"July 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What really explains Trump\u2019s rapid climb to the top of the polls. by Bruce S. Thornton \/\/ FrontPage Magazine Donald Trump\u2019s blunt and clumsy comments about illegal immigration sparked the usual firestorm of criticism from the well heeled of both parties. Particularly vocal were those Republicans who think that an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Immigration"","block_context":{"text":"Immigration","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/immigration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo via FPM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/pl_5-500x281.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8621,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/donald-trump-and-the-other-class-warfare\/","url_meta":{"origin":6995,"position":3},"title":"Donald Trump and the Other Class Warfare","author":"victorhanson","date":"August 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"When democratic masses tire of being condescended to. by Bruce S. Thornton \/\/ FrontPage Magazine The rise and continuing popularity of Donald Trump reminds us that \u201cclass warfare\u201d is an eternal constant of democracies, for as Plato said, every city is in fact two cities, \u201cone the city of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Our Contributors"","block_context":{"text":"Our Contributors","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo via FrontPage Magazine","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/rdf-500x281.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5922,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/illegal-immigration-who-benefits\/","url_meta":{"origin":6995,"position":4},"title":"Illegal Immigration: Who Benefits?","author":"victorhanson","date":"May 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Why does the well-off California suburbanite stand shoulder to shoulder with\u00a0La Raza? by Victor Davis Hanson National Review Online Why are over 11 million foreign nationals residing illegally in the United States? If we can answer that question, then we can fathom the purpose of \u201ccomprehensive immigration reform,\u201d and understand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mexico"","block_context":{"text":"Mexico","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/mexico\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7589,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/immigration-and-americas-failure-of-nerve\/","url_meta":{"origin":6995,"position":5},"title":"Immigration and America\u2019s Failure of Nerve","author":"victorhanson","date":"June 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Bruce Thornton\u00a0\/\/ FrontPage Magazine The number of unaccompanied children from Central America into the U.S. has reached 47,000 since October, and may hit 90,000 by the end of this year. The official story is that they are fleeing drug-gang mayhem and political violence in their home countries, and so are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mexico"","block_context":{"text":"Mexico","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/mexico\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/br-450x288.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6995"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6995"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6997,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6995\/revisions\/6997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}