Debate Over U.S Immigration Policy
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-06-19/debate-over-us-immigration-policy
Immigration reform activists are applauding President Obama’s move to shield some younger immigrants from deportation. The decision allows immigrants younger than 30 who were brought to this country illegally by their parents to stay. GOP presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney criticized the decision. The Supreme Court is about to decide the constitutionality of an Arizona law tough on illegal immigrants, a decision that will likely have important implications for other states and and for national immigration policy. Please join to talk about the ongoing debate over illegal immigration.
Guests
Pamela Constable
Foreign correspondent at the Washington Post, author of "Fragments of Grace" and co-author of "A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet."
Steven Camarota
director of research, Center for Immigration Studies.
Angela Kelley
vice president for immigration policy and advocacy, Center for American Progress.
Comments
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I believe the T-Party 5 currently serving on the SCOTUS are corrupt.... However,they really are in step with the history of the high court,when 90% of their rulings are incorrect. From Marbury v Madison to Citizens United.Wrong,wrong wrong. Pleshy v Ferguson? Dred Scott ?
I live in an Ohio county where our public officials are going to prison for doing exactly what these 5 are doing. How is that fair?
Roger Clemems is on trial for lying to congress,while these Justices remain unchallenged in their under oath lies.Sickening!!
This is what you get when you combine capitalism with government. The best country money can buy.
What this president, Barrack Obama, will do to get reelected is beyond the belief. Calling him a villain is not an exaggeration in fact it's kind, criminal would be more accurate. For those that say they could not vote for Romney because they can't relate to him but could vote for Obama because they do, what does that say about Obama supporters?
Maybe, for just one moment in your life, you could imagine what it would be like to be brought to this country as a child. As a result you face discrimination, persecution and inevitable deportation from no fault of your own.
Congress only apportions Immigration money for about 400,000 deportations a year. Do you want the money spent on illegals who are otherwise law abiding students or do you want the money spent on illegals who are otherwise violent criminals, drug traffickers, etc.? It makes sense to prioritize who you go after when you have a limited budget.
Arkus:
The first line of every Romney speech is his promise to repeal "Obamacare" (the clone of his own Massachusetts plan) via executive order. He has NO other proposal that distinguishes himself from W. Same old crony capitalism, same old tax cuts for the rich, same old desire to gut Social Security and even worse threats to Medicare and elimination of Medicaid, and removing all protections of banking reform and EPA. He's Bush III on steroids. He has said anything and everything to buy and steal the Presidency.........just check the primary comments of those vaunted liberals and commies Newt and Rick and Ron and Michelle ad infinitum.
And what did he say Sunday about immigration and even the minor (pun intended) change in execution that Barack made??? NADA, neecheevoh, mayyoh, nyet, Nothing.......we'll get backto you.
Sorry, Mr. Etch-A-Sketch.........does not compute. Romney has NOTHING for the US. He's an empty suit......a haircut with no ideas under it.
So what does that say about you guys, his supporeters?
Seeing that the well paid representatives of the gov't can't or won't do their job. The grownup in the room had to do the right thing for the future of the nation. If the GOP didn't do it when they had G.Bush in office, looking at this very obstructionist party Obama did what he had to do. At least this Pres. didn't start a war to get re-elected.
Can your guest try to explain why we hear little to nothing about arrest or fines for those who hire illegal immigrants? Always focus on the little guys and gals looking or getting work but basically nothing on those who hire.
It is hard to find statistics on this...why?
http://www.illegalimmigrationstatistics.org/illegal-immigration-in-the-u...
"2. U.S. Companies Looking for Increasing Profit:
U.S. companies are looking for cheap, exploitable labor to increase their profit margin. Illegal workers hired by these companies generally receive poor working conditions, very low pay and no benefits. U.S. companies only need to accept identification that appears authentic from these workers. Fake identification cards are readily available in every major city for about one hundred and fifty dollars."
More ridiculous arguments coming from the hypocrite righties. Every single decision Obama makes is unconstitutional, it does get a little weary hearing the same talking points constantly.
"I don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican, I want it picked by an American, sliced by a Guatemalan . . . and served in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."
CIS: The "Independent" Think Tank
http://www.splcenter.org/publications/the-nativist-lobby-three-faces-of-...
Edwards....nailed it
making sure everyone of these individuals is paid a pathetic wage...and that not one of the people who have hired them is being arrested or fined.
Alabama moved heaven and earth to get Juana Hernandez her scholarship in 2003, IIRC.
She went from needing to learn English to giving the valedictory address in four years.
There are illegal aliens and then there are our illegal aliens.
"If my kids went to sleep hungry every night and my country didn't give me an opportunity to feed them, there isn't a law, no matter how restrictive, that would prevent me from coming here." Marco Rubio
This policy both pleases and annoys me.
On the one hand, I am always pleased when rights are granted to people who are contributing members of society and are only labeled as illegal through circumstances that are no fault are there own.
But as a gay man, I am annoyed that as a natural born citizen I don't have the same rights as my heterosexual counterparts.
While I am happy for the people who no will longer have to live with the undeserved specter of deportation over their heads, I can’t help but feel the sting of my own second-class citizen status.
Patsy - you are such a mean spirited person. All your negative thoughts will not change a thing - try being positive - remember half full not half empty.
When will the migration of folks from California and Nevada (areas of high unemployment) to Georgia, Mississippi, etc. to pick produce on a piece work scale start?
I understand this is a complex situation, but your guest just said tha "we give them tax i.d. numbers so they can collect their tax refunds...LET'S BE HONEST HERE' we mainly give them tax i.d. numbers so they can PAY taxes, and they do, a lot of them. I am tired of the dishonest comments and 'truthyness' from the right on this and most topics. Please guys!
If the Native US residents are willing to do the jobs that are more labor intensive, and less pay, do you think employers will hire an illegal over a legal US residents? I would think two candidate on hire for the same position, same salary, and same job descriptions. Common sense will prompt the employers to hire the legal resident. This is proof that US residents are not willing to do more labor intensive work for less pay. This is a common scenario in the first world nation.
Steven Camarota is wrong - those Swift workers were replaced, with government assistance, by other foreign workers from Burma and Somalia.
Agreed.
While the number of undocumented folks in the country is unfortunate, it is indeed OUR OWN FAULT!
Had we chosen to strongly enforce the laws we may not be facing this situation.
Also, the reason people came was because they knew they could get work.
If we had actually fined the employers who broke the laws by hiring these folks then this situation would not be what it is.
By FINE I mean REALLY FINE them. Say $20,000.00 for each undocumented worker they hire!!!
And Please don't give me the sad song about how it is not the employer's job to check immigration status!
Everybody who is debating about immigration should read a very informative book, Immigrant, Inc. by Richard Herman and Robert L. Smith.
One of your guest said earlier that only a few employers who hire illegal immigrants are fined or arrested every year. Come on discuss this. Why is this issue avoided over and over again. Talk about who is profiting and hiring illegal immigrants.
The Diane Rehm show needs to focus on this for a whole hour. WHY THOSE WHO HIRE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE NOT AND ARE NOT BEING FINED OR ARRESTED FOR THESE ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES.
Steven's argument is so dishonest and misleading. The immigrants are not what has driven this economy down, and I believe his orginization, as official and neutral as the title suggests is little more than another right wing think tank. The biggest blow to this economy has been the decades of jobs sent overseas. You can call it global economy or outsourcing, the fact remains that we no longer produce enough to substain or economy at the post WW2 levels. We no longer produce clothing (Bye Levis and converse), shoes electronics. We needed hundreds of millions of new HD tvs and were not in position to produce one. Our biggest product now is wealth, which is not being sent to the poor and middle class that Steven seems to have such compassion for. Immigration is a diversion from a bigger issue, the divesting of the American communities and the immigrants are the scapegoats. As I look at the empty frieghtyard next to the close Westinghouse and Wager Electronic factories, I am sure that these jobs were not taken by illegals.
dcmorin1
Bingo. Notice how they are avoiding this topic. If U.S. citizens had not and continue to get away with hiring and profiting from illegal immigrants they would have not kept coming. When will they talk in details about this lack of enforcement
The emotional aspect of the conversation is irrelevant. Is our president a King or the Constitutionally bound president of the United States. What gives this president or any president the right to choose which laws he will enforce? This might have been a clever move for reelection purposes but if this was for the "greater good" then he should have worked hard and produced a narrow piece of legislation to enact this change of immigration policy through Congress. The "dream Act" was a much broader piece of legislation so this latest political ploy cannot be compared to it.
I recall a time when the whiter the immigrant the easier the entrance to this country. When my great grandparents (from Austria) and great great grandparents (from Eastern Europe) came they were welcomed without hesitation. When my daughter-in-law was 18 she came from China and is now an undocumented member of our family. She has always worked, paid taxes and now she is the loving caretaker of my mother who is ill. She and my son are married over six years and have a one and a half year old. Clearly there needs to be some kind of compassionate way for this stellar woman to remain in this country and not break up our loving family. I understand that she has broken the law by her very entrance into this country but deportation can't be the only answer. Crimes of much lesser nature are often punished by fines. Fines or fees should be an option. I have sponsored her in her application to stay and year after year she goes to court and is told, "To return next year." This uncertainty is very difficult. To demonize the President because he is acting humane says a lot about the prior commenter.
Arkus Duntov;
Please give us a break. Presidents have been doing this since there has been a President. Obama's predecessor made notes in the margins of bills that he was about to sign saying (paraphrasing here) " This part of the bill will not be enforced". Every President has done this and I will assume will continue to do so.
What will the Republicans do besides reedit their antiabortion bills? Why didn't Mitt reit his promise to veto the Dream Act and undo state laws providing for universal education?
Time to reread the efforts to take care of the Hispanics of Sand Mountain after the Albertville/ Boaz tornado(s). This is not an unwanted community.