Page 57 - Freedom in the world_Neat

In the United States, many of the fundamental dilemmas that have confronted lawmakers
for the last two years have also been major obstacles in the past, and they are likely to
persist. Questions of amnesty, the benefits and liabilities of guest-worker programs, points
systems versus family unity, and a legitimate path to citizenship will continue to incite
passions and divide Americans. While advocates of the latest immigration reform proposal
voice serious concerns about some of its content, they recognize the extent to which
immigration legislation has always been and will continue to be a matter of political
compromise. And even with the right legislation, enforcement is uncertain. Nevertheless, a
recent study by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press shows that most
Americans—a full 63 percent, with nearly identical portions of Republicans, Democrats,
and independents—support providing a way for current illegal residents to gain legal
citizenship under certain conditions, specifically by passing background checks, paying
fines, and holding jobs.102
The U.S. government may not be obligated by any international treaty to make this
happen, but a failure to do so would contradict the inclination of almost two-thirds of
Americans across the political spectrum and clash with the country’s history of thriving on
diversity and the American promise of opportunity. The reality is that most of today’s
illegal immigrants just want to provide better opportunities for their families, and that as
they do so, they are also enriching American culture and helping to maintain the country’s
economic strength. The government owes it to the country’s significant immigrant
population—and to the American democratic tradition—to push through a revised
immigration policy that acknowledges this reality and makes the immigrant contribution
legitimate. In fact, immigration reform provides a rare chance to advance both national
security objectives and the freedoms enjoyed by many Americans. Our elected national
leaders should seize the opportunity.

1 Michael Sandler, “Immigration Bill Appears Doomed After Cloture Vote Fails in
Senate,” Congressional Quarterly, June 28, 20
2 Associated Press, “U.S. Admits More Iraqi Refugees,” Los Angeles Times, September 5,
2007, http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-refugees5sep05,1,283....
3 North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, Public Law 108-333, enacted October 18,
2004. On March 1, 2007, the State Department’s special envoy for North Korean human
rights, Jay Lefkowitz, testified to a congressional committee that only 30 such refugees
from North Korea had been admitted to the United States at that point. House Committee
on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, North
Korean Human Rights: An Update

Page 57 of 168