The Gutierrez Bill—It’s Awful
Many immigration restrictionists predicted that Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s long-awaited amnesty bill would be awful, and they were not disappointed. In point of fact, it’s considerably worse than the amnesty bills that failed in 2006 and 2007. The Gutierrez bill is even more lenient in penalties illegals would have to pay than those of the former bills. They offered what critics derisively called “wrist slaps.” Gutierrez’s measure is more on the order of “wrist taps”—such as the trivial $500 fine illegals would have to pay for a pathway to U.S. citizenship.
The new bill also would go a long way to eliminate what little effective enforcement of immigration laws we have now. It would abolish the popular 287 (g) program which allows local and state police agencies to assist federal enforcement of those laws, and replace the proven E-verify system, which determines the legal status of workers, with an untested verification system. It would not add more Border Patrol agents or fencing.
Gutierrez and the rest of the amnesty gang barely seem to notice that they want to ensure jobs for foreign lawbreakers while so many American citizens are out of work. One who did take note was Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), a leading amnesty opponent in the House. Said Smith, “With 15 million Americans out of work, it’s hard to believe that anyone would give amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants. Even the open-borders crowd agrees that illegal immigrants take jobs from American workers, particularly poor and disadvantaged citizens and legal immigrants.”
On top of amnesty, the Gutierrez bill would open the doors to 100,000 guest workers a year who could later petition to become permanent residents and citizens. Interestingly, this proposal has caused a rift in the pervious amnesty alliance of Democrats wanting cheap votes and Republicans wanting cheap labor. The Republicans say that the 100,000 is not enough. They want even more, and they won’t support a bill that doesn’t adequately feed their greed. As the two factions fight, patriotic American can enjoy the fracas from the sidelines.
This legislation is so bad that many observers say it has no chance of passage. That may be, but some observers see it as part of a strategy which could prove successful. In this scenario, the bills takes a lot of flack, and the amnesty lobby responds by offering what it claims is more moderate legislation. By presenting an “improved” bill—perhaps what they really figured all along was the best they could get—they may hope to pass it.
The point to keep in mind is that no amnesty legislation is acceptable. And if the politicians can’t understand this, the American people—once again—will have to remind them.