dimensionm: Immigration and Identity Theft

Over the past few days, I've heard some of the details of the immigration compromise bill developed by the "Gang of 8" leaking out in various news reports. I like most of what I've heard, though I'm planning to reserve judgment until the final bill is introduced and made public. If the final bill is similar to what's been in the press, it could be a good bill.

I agree with many of the Republican concerns on immigration. I believe that we have to make sure that immigration laws are properly enforced and that people aren't rewarded for breaking the law. I believe that those who came here illegally shouldn't be able to jump ahead of those who have gone through the legal process and waited their turn. I believe that any pathway to legal status must be attached to people coming forward, going through a criminal background check, paying a fine, paying back taxes, and earning their legal status.

But most of my beliefs on immigration are, unsurprisingly, more traditional Democratic views. Our immigration laws need to be drastically reformed so that they're transparent and fair. We need to crack down on employers who exploit immigrants for cheap labor. I'm in favor of granting drivers licenses to those who are here illegally and I'm in favor of ensuring that their children who are here through no fault of their own have access to a college education. And I recognize the fact that there's a strong undercurrent of racism that gets mixed into the discussion by many people claiming to only be opposed to illegal immigration.

There is a lot of concern about illegal immigrants competing with Americans for jobs. What gets left out of that is the downward pressure on wages for all American workers by having a stigmatized group of immigrants in the country who have no path to legal status and are easily exploited by businesses.

Why bother to properly hire American workers, pay them for all hours worked, and pay all the taxes when unscrupulous companies can hire people who won't be able to complain about mistreatment over fear of being deported? In turn, there is increased pressure on honest companies to adopt more shady tactics in order to stay competitive, as I discussed in my recent post about the Texas construction industry.

The aspects of the bill that I've heard seem to do a good job of addressing the concerns of both sides. I'm amazed that such a bill could come out in the highly charged partisan atmosphere that exists in Washington today. If a good bill along these lines can actually be passed, the American people should be willing to give the Congress some credit for actually doing something positive for once. This is what a compromise is supposed to do: create a stronger law by incorporating the legitimate concerns of all sides.

There is, however, one sticky issue that I haven't heard addressed yet. I am hoping it will be addressed in the final bill. A lot of illegal immigrants have been using stolen social security numbers to obtain employment. Identity theft and misuse of social security numbers are federal felonies and they are separate crimes from the act of illegal entry into the country. I'm curious to see how these additional crimes -- committed after a person illegally entered the country -- are addressed in any kind of comprehensive immigration reform.

Source: http://dimensionm.livejournal.com/226439.html

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