Article Links:
Bill would give undocumented legal status
Progressives Push To Revisist Amnesty For Illegal Aliens
Bruce’s Response:
NYDIA’s IMMIGRATION REFORM PLAN IS UNREALISTIC
Immigration law desperately needs reform but Nydia Velazquez’s new unrealistic plan is wrong on two counts.
First, it plays on and to the anxieties and sympathies of the Latino community at the expense of getting a meaningful bill passed. Her proposal to offer illegal immigrants a $500 fine leading to a special 6 year visa ending up with a green card is the equivalent of waving a red flag in front of anti-immigration forces in Congress and among the public, many of who don’t need much encouragement to vote anti-Latino. The plan has no chance of passing. It’s a way to win sympathy from her financial supporters without gaining anything for the community.
Second, it’s a slap in the face to the immigrants who played by the rules, participated in previous amnesties and suffered through our antiquated system. Without a fair and realistic immigration program, there is no value to becoming a citizen and no difference between the services offered legal and illegal immigrants.
According to Bruce Hirschfeld, “We have a moral obligation toward immigrants, but this $500 fine and visa plan will inflame the majority who will vote against us. It’s the wrong strategy for getting what our community desperately needs – common sense and fair immigration reform. Nydia would rather play to her cronies than craft a proposal that actually has a chance to pass. It’s a classic move by a do-nothing politician.”
