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Lamm: Get tough on immigrationWants proof of citizenship to board planes, get job, open bank accountGene Davis, DDN Staff WriterWednesday, January 20, 2010 | |
Requiring people to prove their U.S. citizenship when getting a job, boarding an airplane or opening a bank account would drastically cut back on illegal immigration in the country, former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm said yesterday.
“I really think in a time of terrorism, that makes a lot of sense,” he said.
But not everyone is on board. Chandra Russo of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, for one, thinks that the government should instead broadly legalize all undocumented immigrants in the country. A broad legalization would create more jobs and bring more revenue into the tax system and economy Ń approximately $1.5 trillion over several years Ń she said.
“When we ramp up enforcement, we don’t curb immigration; we just make it more dangerous,” she said.
Lamm yesterday addressed approximately 40 people at the City Club of Denver’s weekly meeting. Since leaving office in 1987, Lamm, a Democrat while serving three terms as Colorado governor, has spoken numerous times on illegal immigration.
Recipe for disaster?
Lamm said that the United States creating no new net jobs in the past nine years yet taking in 10 million immigrants into the country is a recipe for disaster. The country should focus on its own poor and doesn’t need to take in more people, he argued.
Lamm wants to see something like the E-Verify system be applied to people at airports, banks, and be required for people looking to get a job. He believes such a system along with a reliable identification card would dramatically cut down illegal immigration.
United States employers are currently able to use an E-Verify system operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to check whether an employee or potential employee is a legal U.S. resident. For most employers, the use of E-Verify is voluntary and limited to determining the employment eligibility of new hires only.
Russo blasted the current E-Verify system as an often-biased database that doesn’t work. She said the database is based more on race than immigration, and that she knows people who “can’t get jobs because of an E-Verify system that’s not serving anyone.”
Legislature to act?
Because the country is polarized on the issue of illegal immigration and federal lawmakers are wary of taking on another hot button issue after the contentious health care reform debate, Lamm doesn’t foresee comprehensive immigration reform being tackled anytime soon.
However, proponents of immigration reform that would provide undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship said last week that they think they will be able to convince Congress to make the issue a priority this year. A rally was held in Aurora last week, one of many held nationwide, to show support for a proposal by Congressman Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.
Gutierrez’s proposal would legalize an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants by requiring them to learn English, pay a $500 fine, pass background checks and register with the federal government.
A similar proposal was pushed in 2007 by U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., which was supported by President George W. Bush. It sought tougher border controls and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Obama supported the legislation, but Bush’s fellow Republicans in Congress killed the proposal.
Gonzales, however, believes the political atmosphere has shifted and that proponents will have better success this year, especially with the economic downturn.
“Every single day that we go without comprehensive immigration reform is a day that we lose our opportunity to see the economic benefits and the economic return that legalization would have on our communities,” she said.
| Comments: |
| belugajedi @ 2010-01-20 03:13:57 | Is he running for president? If he is - I'll vote for him. The democrats need to heed the warning from the voters of Virginia and now Massachusetts. People are not mad - they're beyond mad. If they think the health reform issue is the only thing that will burn them - just wait until they try tackling the immigration issue. I'm an independent voter who was happy the dems got in because I thought change would be good. In the 12 months they and their political machine have had the lead - they've gutted immigration enforcement and made ICE and CBP jokes. Then they say 'comprehensive reform' is needed. The only thing these politicians - democrat or republican - need to do is enforce the laws they themselves enacted. They're not pleasant sometimes - but they were created because of the shennanigans played around for years by illegal immigrants and groups like Immigrant Rights Coalition and La Raza. Enforce laws. Make people have some responsibility for illegal actions they commit. Do not accept amnesty or legalization. Allow temporary agriculture programs but make sure the wage is decent and that people have an incentive to return to their countries. |
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| steve @ 2010-01-20 06:41:26 | What is the argument here? every single alien "BROKE THE LAW!" Our Government, past & present, Republican & Democrat, have allowed the invasion of 20 to 30 million criminals and uneducated peons which is the largest invasion of any Nation, at any time, by any means & in direct violation of Article IV, Section IV of our Constitution.
This refusal to abide by our Constitution or enforce our Immigration Laws should be classified as Treason of the most foul kind, & as grounds for impeachment & trials for Treason!
Not only have they allowed the invasion, they force American tax payers to pay Billions on Billions of dollars to provide Welfare, Prison cells, Educate the invaders numerous children, and free medical care, at the same time the invading horde break numerous laws and massive document fraud, & are destroying our schools, hospitals, communities, culture and standard of living while Robbing, Raping, Killing & Assaulting American Citizens WAKE UP PEOPLE!
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| Bob Right @ 2010-01-20 06:53:13 | Do not be fooled by Janet Napolitano. The border is still far from secure and she has gutted effective immigration enforcement:
1) she has stopped workplace raids that would free up millions of jobs for unemployed Americans.
2) she has halted contruction of the real border fence
3) she has stopped the "no match" letter that would identify illegals using stolen social security numbers.
4) she has weakened the 287(g) law that allows local officals to i.d. and deport illegals.
5) and she wants to aMNESTY the vast majority of the 12-20 million illegal aliens, and allow them to stay and take our jobs -- even if this era of very high unemployment!
**We are NOT fooled! Just say NO to "comprenhensive immigration reform" mass amnesty!!
**We demand REAL immigration enforcement and for illegal aliens to be removed from their illegal jobs!!
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| Estoban @ 2010-01-20 08:02:08 | Who opposes our desire to live free and peacefully as Americans and legal immigrants? Opposing us are the greedy, criminal employers led by the Chamber of Commerce, racist front groups such as La Raza, MALDEF, ACLU, SPLC, Homeland Secretary Napolitano(she doesn’t even know it’s a crime to cross our borders illegally), elected leaders like House Speaker Pelosi(she thinks it is unAmerican to enforce our immigration laws), Presidents Obama, Bush I and II, Clinton, Rep. Gutierrez, Sen McCain, Sen. Graham, Sen. Menedez. Washington appears to be utterly useless in watching out for our best interests. |
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| Mike Morski @ 2010-01-20 08:56:54 | Humane CIR is the only inteligent and smart choice for America. Deportations and raids don't work and are expensive inhumane and unamerican. It's time for CIR |
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| Joe Justice @ 2010-01-20 12:06:40 | With immigration, let's actually enforce the law for once by jailing the people who hire illegals, then allow their jobs to be filled via a large-scale lottery that awards, over a few years, the 10 million best qualified educated, ambitious, English-speaking foreigners. What a wonder replacing people with a 4th-grade education with doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs -- job creators, not takers -- would do. Otherwise, we'll descend into the United States of Mexico; change, yes, but nothing I'll believe in (unless I've emigrated safely away to Australia). Unless we implement a points system -- and quick -- to allow the world's educated to immigrate here openly and without hassle while enforcing the law without exception, this country's downward track will only continue: falling education standards, productivity and skills, wages, social tension, growing income gap ... Thanks, Luis Gutierrez and the Democrats. |
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| Joe Justice @ 2010-01-20 12:06:53 | With immigration, let's actually enforce the law for once by jailing the people who hire illegals, then allow their jobs to be filled via a large-scale lottery that awards, over a few years, the 10 million best qualified educated, ambitious, English-speaking foreigners. What a wonder replacing people with a 4th-grade education with doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs -- job creators, not takers -- would do. Otherwise, we'll descend into the United States of Mexico; change, yes, but nothing I'll believe in (unless I've emigrated safely away to Australia). Unless we implement a points system -- and quick -- to allow the world's educated to immigrate here openly and without hassle while enforcing the law without exception, this country's downward track will only continue: falling education standards, productivity and skills, wages, social tension, growing income gap ... Thanks, Luis Gutierrez and the Democrats. |
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| Dave @ 2010-01-20 12:44:03 | Most Americans oppose any form of amnesty and want our existing immigration laws enforced -- especially now with 15 million American jobless! NO "comprehensive reform" amnesty! |
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| Stan from Ohio @ 2010-01-20 12:48:14 | Oppostion to any form of amnesty has increased since Bush's amnesty bill was defeated in 2007. A recent Rasmussen poll, for example, shows that about 70% of Americans support border enforcement over legalization (amnesty). NO AMNESTY!! |
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| Ali @ 2010-01-20 13:32:55 | such as the one that amnesty for illegal aliens would help our "economy", pro amnesty types hope we'll be dumb enough to believe it.
Fact is, the sheer number of illegal aliens means that wages will not rise much, REGARDLESS OF THEIR STATUS. The biggest problems facing the home countries of many of these illegal aliens is the sheer NUMBER of working age people seeking jobs. The law of supply and demand applies here as well as there. If amnestied, all it would do would be to make illegal aliens better able to compete with Americans for such jobs as exist. It would also give them greater access to welfare and social services that they cannot now access.
The studies I've seen rely on extending the purported results of the 1986 amnesty to today's illegal alien population, always dangerous to do (I'm a statistician) because you need to assume away changes that would affect results. For example, in the 1980s and even 1990s, we still had manufacturing as a stepping stone to the middle class for those who didn't have at least a high school education. Gone. We also got the 1986 amnesty and proof with it that government had absolutely no intention of enforcing the laws despite promises.
The result, according to the federal government's 2008 report on poverty, is that from 1990 to 2006, the rate of poverty among Hispanics has risen while it's fallen among other groups. Coincidentally, the increase in the NUMBER of Hispanics living in poverty is roughly 3 million, about the number who received amnesty in 1986. |
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| Ali @ 2010-01-20 13:34:03 | such as the one that amnesty for illegal aliens would help our "economy", pro amnesty types hope we'll be dumb enough to believe it.
Fact is, the sheer number of illegal aliens means that wages will not rise much, REGARDLESS OF THEIR STATUS. The biggest problems facing the home countries of many of these illegal aliens is the sheer NUMBER of working age people seeking jobs. The law of supply and demand applies here as well as there. If amnestied, all it would do would be to make illegal aliens better able to compete with Americans for such jobs as exist. It would also give them greater access to welfare and social services that they cannot now access.
The studies I've seen rely on extending the purported results of the 1986 amnesty to today's illegal alien population, always dangerous to do (I'm a statistician) because you need to assume away changes that would affect results. For example, in the 1980s and even 1990s, we still had manufacturing as a stepping stone to the middle class for those who didn't have at least a high school education. Gone. We also got the 1986 amnesty and proof with it that government had absolutely no intention of enforcing the laws despite promises.
The result, according to the federal government's 2008 report on poverty, is that from 1990 to 2006, the rate of poverty among Hispanics has risen while it's fallen among other groups. Coincidentally, the increase in the NUMBER of Hispanics living in poverty is roughly 3 million, about the number who received amnesty in 1986. |
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| Brittancus @ 2010-01-20 14:31:37 | Its time to define E-Verify as a comprehensive Immigration enforcement tool and installed as permanent.. Yesterday Scott Brown a Republican of Massachusetts gained the majority vote against his Democratic rival Martha Coakley. The State Senators Campaign website stated"
I recognize that our strength as a nation is built on the immigrant experience in America. I welcome legal immigration to this country. However, we are also a nation of laws and government should not adopt policies that encourage illegal immigration. Providing driver’s licenses and in-state tuition to illegal immigrant families will act as a magnet in drawing more people here in violation of the law and it will impose new costs on taxpayers. I oppose amnesty, and I believe we ought to strengthen our border enforcement and institute an employment verification system with penalties for companies that hire illegal immigrants."
Politicians who have supported the open border facade, have cost taxpayers--BILLIONS--need now to rethink their ideology, because the American population are not going to suffer any form of AMNESTY for people who broke our sovereignty laws. E-Verify as a part of the SAVE ACT, can be used to detect fraudulent applications for Drivers licenses, cross referencing welfare, health care and other applications. E-Verify can become a master software program originally developed to remove illegal labor from the workplace, but now the federal government sees a wider use of the program. Other working enforcement programs that includes 287 (G) that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has slowed somewhat and that also in addition to ICE raids against parasite businesses. E-Verify was nearly obliterated by the influence of Sen. Reid and Speaker Pelosi with the new Obama administration. I think most Americans know immigration enforcement has always been seen to be be enforced? But the cold truth is that there have always been loopholes in any new law that has been intentionally manipulated for gain by our lawmakers.
This includes the whole travesty of the fence on the southern border, that should have been two fences separated by a no-mans land. Or the actual penalty for entering illegally in another nations soil is a minor conviction, when it should be a felony.? IF DEMOCRATS GET THERE WAY THIS YEAR, THEY WILL FORCE UPON US ALL AN AMNESTY, THAT WILL COST ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNTS OF DOLLARS TO INITIATE? WE NEED REAL ENFORCEMENT AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SPEAK UP. Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asked for your Senator or Congressman. GET INVOLVED AND LEARN THE TRUTH AND NOT OPEN BORDER PROPAGANDA AT NUMBERSUSA AND JUDICIAL WATCH. STOP UNSUSTAINABLE OVERPOPULATION IN OUR FUTURE. |
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| ApostateDemocrat @ 2010-01-20 15:13:09 | Another amnesty for illegal aliens? Why not? We haven't had a civil war now for over a hundred years. |
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| Bobby @ 2010-01-20 15:34:01 | Folks, I agree with Mr. Lamm, but I would add one other thing. Americans have to get "tough" with themselves. We can't sit around, lost in all of our distractions while the two party system gives money to Wall Street Criminals, leaves our borders open to the world,(how much respect is that for the American citizenry?), play around with our jobs, friends and families. We can NO LONGER ALLOW PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN SELFISHLY GAINING POWER, HAVE POWER OVER US. That's electing people that don't have your best interests at heart. |
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| Dave @ 2010-01-20 16:30:26 | Illegal aliens consume much more in public services than what little they pay in taxes. This is why the Heritage Foundation estimated that the flawed 2007 amnesty bill would have imposed a net burden of at least $2.6 TRILLION on American taxpayers. This is a big reason why Americans still reject any form of amnesty for illegal alien lawbreakers. |
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| Delaware Bob @ 2010-01-20 22:22:46 | Get real! You can't give 20 million illegal aliens AMNESTY! Illegal aliens ared desrtoying this country, and if one can't see that, they must be near blind! ENFORCE THE DAMN LAWS! GEEEEEEEZ! |
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| Bobby @ 2010-01-21 15:13:01 | PALIN, has turned out to be another traitor and neo-con. Useless to the core, to the American citizen. She's just another political tool, seeking her own personal power. Screw her. |
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| Kentuckyfilly @ 2010-01-21 17:05:37 | Requiring anyone boarding a plane to show proof of US citizenship would keep us from having any tourist trade, as tourists from other countries will not be able to show US citizenship. Requiring someone opening a bank account to show proof of US citizenship would prevent anyone attached to an embassy or consulate, or who works legally inthe US or is a permanent resident from having a bank account - how costly would that be to the banking industry, which could no longer earn interest on all that money. How would this bill help business? |
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| Robin @ 2010-01-21 20:12:35 | I agree with Lamm. It would be so easy to check the legal status of individuals. Then, if you are in the U.S,. illegally, repatriation should go forward. |
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| Robin @ 2010-01-21 20:35:13 | I agree with Lamm. It would be so easy to check the legal status of individuals. Then, if you are in the U.S,. illegally, repatriation should go forward. |
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| mike @ 2010-01-21 20:59:41 | If the people running this country pass a law allowing ANY illegals in to this country without proper papers, then they must allow EVERYONE FROM EVERY COUNTRY ON THE PLANET IN FOR FREE ALSO. How can you stop anyone from coming in if you let their neighbors in? |
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| Imogene @ 2010-01-23 15:48:39 | Lamm has been right on this issue for years. |
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