Immigration

by Edward Grabianowski
October 2004

The Issue


Photo courtesy Dept. of Homeland Security
People immigrate to the Unites States, both legally and illegally, from all over the world. However, because of their proximity to the southern U.S. border, as well as a poor economy in their home country, the vast majority of immigrants are Mexican. As a result, the immigration issue is a complicated blend of agriculture, labor, human rights, and Latino issues.

Many lower- and middle-class, blue-collar workers oppose immigration because Mexican workers can either work below minimum wage (if they are illegal immigrants), or flood the job market and drive wages down (if they are legal immigrants). Other opposition comes from groups who feel that the tax dollars of Americans shouldn't be spent providing welfare, education, and other services to illegal immigrants (or even to legal immigrants).

Immigrants are crucial to U.S. farmers, many of whom have a difficult time finding American workers to do low-paying, seasonal farm work. The strongest support for immigrant rights usually comes from Hispanic and Latino groups. Politicians covet the huge voting blocks represented by these groups, so they walk a fine line between supporting immigrant rights and alienating American workers.

Badnarik: Position and Record
While Badnarik wants to make immigration easier for law-abiding immigrants who want to work and live in the United States, he also wants to get rid of incentives such as welfare that attract many immigrants. He feels that anyone who wants to come to a border crossing and submit to a background check to make sure he or she is not a criminal or terrorist should be allowed to enter; but each person should then be expected to make his or her own way and not be "parasites who come here to live on government largesse."

Badnarik also wants the civil liberties of law-abiding immigrants restored. He feels that many have been unfairly and illegally detained by the government without a trial or even the chance to speak to a lawyer.

Record:
Since Badnarik has never held a public office, he has no voting record on this issue.

Bush: Position and Record
Bush's stand on immigration is surprisingly liberal, probably due in part to his experience as governor of Texas (which has a very strong Latino population and culture), and his realization that the support of Hispanic voters is crucial for his reelection bid. Being immigrant-friendly is perfectly in line with his usual business-friendly policies, since big businesses rely on that huge pool of cheap immigrant labor.

The most important immigration program Bush has announced is his "temporary worker" initiative. Under this plan, undocumented (illegal) immigrants would be granted the right to legally hold jobs for six to eight years, as long as they maintain those jobs. This would not automatically give them citizenship. Many illegal immigrants fear deportation if they register for the program, and are wary of paying taxes and undergoing background checks. Critics also say the program favors illegal, unskilled workers, while skilled workers have a very difficult time getting employer-sponsored work visas through legal channels.

Prior to the 9-11 attacks, the Bush administration followed a policy intended to make it easier for immigrants to obtain Green Cards and get into the country. Since then, "risk categories," strict enforcement, and deportation of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants has become the mandate for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

Record:

  • In 2000, Bush appointed James Ziglar to head of the INS. Ziglar brought libertarian views to the INS, which basically amounted to a very open immigration policy.

  • Early in his administration, Bush directed additional funds to the INS to expedite citizenship applications.

  • Ziglar resigned from his INS position in the wake of 9-11. Since then, the INS has become part of the Department of Homeland Security. The Bush administration has launched a program to track those who enter the country on student visas.

Kerry: Position and Record
Kerry has come out in support of restoring benefits like welfare and health care to legal immigrants. Many of those benefits were cut by 1996 welfare reforms. He also wants non-U.S. citizens who serve in the U.S. military to receive expedited citizenship. At a 2003 debate, Kerry indicated that anyone who has worked and lived in the U.S. for five or six years and has no criminal record should be granted citizenship. However, Kerry left some Latino voters apprehensive when he recently said he did not support drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants.

Kerry's immigration reform plans include "paths to citizenship," as well as reunification of families separated by immigration laws. Like Bush, he has promised to make the borders safe and secure.

Record:

  • 2000 - Voted yes to increase the number of work visas for high-tech foreign workers
  • 1998 - Voted no to create a registry of foreign workers who want to do farm work, and to allow more farm workers into the U.S.
  • 1998 - Voted no to increase the number of work visas for high-tech foreign workers
  • 1997 - Voted yes to allow Central American refugees who have lived in the U.S. for at least seven years and are of "good moral character" to avoid deportation
  • 1997 - Voted yes to extend Supplemental Security Income to legal immigrants for an extra month

Nader: Position and Record
Nader outlined his immigration stance very succinctly in a 2000 interview with the Fresno Bee. As is typical of Nader, he feels that immigration is a symptom of other problems, and the key to a successful immigration policy lies in dealing with those core problems.

    The first stage for our immigration policy is stop supporting oligarchs, dictatorships, authoritarian regimes that drive people to leave their native lands out of economic desperation or political repression. Lots of people from Mexico and Central America would now be in those countries, not in this country, if they had a decent chance in a democratic society to have an adequate standard of living. We cannot have open borders. That's a totally absurd proposition. It would depress wages here enormously, and tens of millions of people from all levels, including scientists and workers, would be pouring into this country. One way is to provide work permits for people who come in and do work for short periods of time that Americans don't want to do instead of criminalizing the border.

Record:
Because Nader has never held a political office, he has no voting record on immigration.

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