By Kamal Nawash

The Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism urges all Americans to support the Antiterrorism & Illegal Immigration Control Act. (H.R. 4437)

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed immigration reform legislation that’s intended to control illegal immigration and secure the nation’s borders. Among the reforms, the bill funds the building of additional border fences; it ends the “catch and release” policy for illegal aliens who are caught entering the country illegally and then released in the United States; and the bill requires employers to verify that their employees are authorized to work in the United States. Remarkably, the House of Representatives rejected President Bush’s call for a guest worker program that would have legalized approximately 15 million illegal aliens presently in the United States.

The House bill is also intended to improve security at U.S. borders. There is an increasing concern by many Americans that the open U.S./Mexican border is too vulnerable and can be used by terrorists to smuggle explosives in the United States. Consequently, in addition to building approximately 700 miles of fence, the House bill creates tougher criminal penalties for smuggling people in the United States; and mandates jail time for aliens who reenter the U.S. illegally after deportation. Moreover, local law enforcement agencies would be reimbursed for detaining illegal aliens and turning them over to federal custody.

This immigration reform bill, if adopted by the Senate, would be the most far reaching immigration reform measure in more than a generation. But it is not clear if the bill will remain intact as it stands now. The House bill differs from a major Senate bill in that the Senate bill creates a guest worker program. The guest worker program is passionately opposed by the majority of the House of Representatives. Those who oppose the guest worker program argue that a guest worker program encourages illegal immigration and rewards illegal aliens for breaking the law.

The House immigration reform bill is being opposed by an unlikely coalition of powerful special interest groups. These groups include the largest Latino advocacy group, business lobbies, labor Unions and immigration lawyers among others. However, this broad coalition may not be strong enough to defeat an immigration reform bill that is backed by a large and increasingly vocal grass roots movement. This movement is motivated by Americans who are frustrated with a flood of illegal aliens who are rapidly changing their communities; lowering wages for blue collar workers and putting enormous pressure on local and state governments to educate and provide healthcare and other services for illegal aliens.

So is the immigration reform bill that passed the House of Representatives good for America? And must reform include a guest worker program where illegal aliens would be given legal status?

Before answering these questions, one should consider the motivation of those who oppose immigration reform. The most vocal opponents of controlling illegal immigration are Latino organizations. This is no surprise. Most American Latino organizations have an established history of reflexively opposing any measure that controls unlawful immigration. Opposition to controlling illegal immigration has become so politically charged that those who call for control on illegal immigration are considered racist and intolerant. The stigma that follows those who call for immigration reform is so powerful that the federal government has become paralyzed in reforming a broken immigration system and in securing our borders. This is particularly remarkable considering the unprecedented leeway the American public gave the Federal government after September 11 to secure the home land.

In addition to Latin American groups, both Political parties have resisted immigration reform that includes controlling illegal immigration. Advocates argue that Democratic law makers generally oppose immigration reform because of the belief that immigrants are more likely to become Democrats and thus, Democrats rationalize that giving amnesty to illegal aliens will in the long run benefit the Democratic Party. As to Republicans, advocates argue that Republicans generally oppose controlling illegal immigration because a key constituent, the business community, wants cheap labor. This explains why business advocacy groups have organized a fierce campaign to defeat the House bill and any immigration reform measure that does not include an amnesty for the millions who are working illegally in the United States.

Another major group that is working hard to defeat the House bill is labor unions. It is truly a rare sight to see big business work closely with labor unions to defeat legislation. So why do labor Unions support legalizing illegal aliens? Well, for the last 20 years, labor unions have experienced declining numbers and influence in the United States. Consequently, labor unions see a large potential supply of new union members from illegal workers.

And last but not least, in addition to opposing most of the reforms in the Immigration reform bill, immigration lawyers are working overtime to defeat immigration reform that does not include a guest worker program. There is no surprise here as immigration lawyers stand to make a fortune from a guest worker program.

Clearly, even a superficial analysis of the groups who oppose immigration reform reveals that those groups have self-serving narrow interests that may not be in the best interest of the United States. The United States has an open porous border with Mexico where thousands of people cross illegally every month. If thousands are able to cross the border without detection, how difficult would it be for terrorists to cross the Mexican border? If thousands of people are smuggling drugs from the U.S./Mexican border, how difficult would it be to smuggle explosives? An unsecured Mexican/U.S. border presents the single most significant danger to the security of the United States.

Now, let’s consider the argument that legalizing illegal aliens will reduce illegal immigration. This argument has been made by many important figures including, President George W. Bush, President Clinton, President Reagan, Senator McCain, Senator Kennedy and everyone else who supports legalizing those who are smuggled and sneaked into the United States every year. It is puzzling that politicians and special interest groups continue to make this argument when EVERY past amnesty and program that legalized illegal aliens actually increased illegal immigration.

For Example, the most recent amnesty was authorized in 2001 under President Clinton. The Clinton era amnesty allowed illegal aliens to adjust their status in the United States if they found a qualified sponsor such as a potential employer. Several hundred thousand illegal aliens found sponsors but rather than cut down on illegal immigration, the amnesty actually increased illegal immigration substantially. After the expiration of the amnesty in April 2001, hundreds of thousand of people crossed the border illegally on a chance that the U.S. will once again offer an Amnesty or some other tool that pardons illegal aliens after crossing the border illegally.

Moreover, the Clinton era amnesty created an enormous backlog in the system and inspired mind boggling fraud. None of the government agencies who were affected by the amnesty were able to handle the enormous influx of new cases. For example, securing a labor certificate used to take six months before the 2001 amnesty and approximately four years or longer after the amnesty. In addition, amnesties and other programs that legalize illegal aliens inspire enormous fraud by the applicants and some attorneys. In one particular case in Arlington, Virginia, one attorney made over 15 million dollars in a four months period by filing fraudulent labor certificate applications for illegal aliens.

Most importantly, many of the illegal aliens who depend on employers to adjust their illegal status in the United States often find themselves abused and working in worse conditions than they did before the amnesty. This is because an illegal alien who depends on a U.S. employer to become legal often times will do whatever the employer asks until the legalization process is complete. Furthermore, many illegal aliens fraudulently pay owners of businesses large sums of cash to sponsor them which is totally illegal and begs the question of whether the United States actually has the shortage of American workers in all the fields for which the government approves labor certificates.

In conclusion, the United States is in desperate need of immigration reform and the recently passed House bill is a great first step. As to a guest worker program, it is premature to legislate such a program at this point in time. History strongly suggests that the federal government will not lift a finger to secure the borders or control illegal immigration if an amnesty or a “guest worker program” is authorized. Moreover, the House bill will not become law unless the American pubic makes it clear to politicians that immigration reform is a significant priority in determining who they want in office.

Kamal Nawash is an immigration lawyer and the president of the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism. Contact: 202-776-7190, 301-905-6438, president@freemuslims.org, www.freemuslims.org

Please share your thoughts with us by posting your comments on our BLOG:
http://www.freemuslims.org/blog/

For more information, visit our website at www.freemuslims.org

---

---

Related: United States

---