Four reasons Republican senators should not support an immigration amnesty
Steve Levy
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Pathetically, a number of lame-duck and mid-term Republican senators are about to jump on board with Democrats in providing sweeping amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. This would be a disgraceful betrayal to Americans and the Republican Party.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) refuses to concede that granting legal status to these millions of illegal aliens is, in fact, amnesty, and instead plays Orwellian word games by claiming it is merely a “path to citizenship.” Tillis states further that this is not something being given out for free. The illegal aliens must first pass a major test by showing that they haven’t committed a major crime. Big deal! How insulting to the millions of people who are waiting in line to get into this country the right way.
IF TITLE 42 ENDS, BIDEN’S BROKEN BORDER WILL ONLY GET WORSE
A Yale study estimated there were over 22 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. in 2018, and this was well before the Biden surge.
The National Immigration Forum estimated in 2020 that there were as many as 3.6 million Dreamers (those immigrating in their youth) residing in the United States.
There are numerous reasons why this amnesty plan is such a huge mistake.
First, an amnesty will only lead to even more illegal immigration. Those who promoted the first illegal immigration amnesty plan back in 1986, including President Ronald Reagan, claimed that amnesty was the humane thing to do. But proponents of the amnesty act failed to first secure the border. More importantly, they sent the message to millions of people around the world that there were no consequences to breaking the law while seeking to enter our country. Rather, it became clear that those coming here illegally were being rewarded. The same pattern will repeat after yet another free pass.
Amnesty is also unfair to those who seek to come in the right way. The wait for the four million people waiting to obtain a legal green card to enter the U.S. can last decades. So why follow protocol if you can simply cross the border illegally and wind up getting driver’s or professional licenses, free college tuition, or sit on a corporate board while being immune from deportation if you ever commit a crime? Some radical cities are even drafting legislation allowing the undocumented to vote.
Third, citizenship provides broader access to already-strained Social Security and Medicare systems. A major factor for the Republican-leaning U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Wall Street Journal, and other pro-business Republicans was that illegal immigration provided cheap labor that supposedly enhanced corporate profits. But that came with an understanding that these immigrants, such as the legal immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, would be doing back-breaking labor without leaning on the government for handouts. Once these illegal immigrants are granted citizenship, there’s not a single welfare program that they won’t be eligible for if their income qualifies (and most will). This will add billions in costs to hardworking citizens. Additionally, it will make these millions of people eligible for Social Security and Medicare, which are already on the verge of collapse.
Fourth, amnesty would be electoral suicide for Republicans. While many establishment Republicans look the other way at illegal immigration because of the cheap labor, Democrats are actively promoting it because they know the vast majority of these newcomers may one day obtain amnesty, citizenship, and voting rights and vote Democrat. Despite all of the hoopla about Hispanics abandoning the Democratic Party for the GOP, the plain truth is Hispanics are still voting for Democrats at a rate exceeding 60%. This is one reason why states that were just a short time ago solidly red are now just a light pink or even purple — think Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona.
Democrats knew exactly what they were doing deliberately promoting their border surge over the last two years. This isn’t an accident or incompetence; it was by design. Biden deliberately eviscerated Trump’s policies that provided the strongest border security in decades on purpose so that he could bring in five million potential new voters.
Democrats and their allies in the legacy media tout the buzz term “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” as being the one and only grand solution, but it’s astonishing how many Republican officials and pundits do as well. It makes sense that Democrats would play this mischievous game, betraying safety and sovereignty for short-term political gold. But why on earth would Republicans sign off on this chicanery?
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Few ever even ask what “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” means. It is really just amnesty coupled with billions of dollars spent on drones at the border. Neither is needed to secure the border. We know this because we had a secure border without either in the Trump era.
“Comprehensive Immigration Reform” is just a word game to mask the fact that those seeking amnesty are too scared to say it outright. Republicans supporting this should be ashamed for selling out a voter base that knows better.
Steve Levy is president of Common Sense Strategies, a political consulting firm. He served as Suffolk County Executive, as a New York State assemblyman, and as host of The Steve Levy Radio Show.