I didn't watch the President's speech on illegal immigration the other day. I didn't even bother to read any of the multitude of transcripts available online. It's not that I didn't have the opportunity. I didn't have any interest. It's not that I am not interested in the issue, quite to the contrary. I just didn't have any interest in hearing a speech I already knew the content of and already knew where the president and I would disagree.

But I have decided in the last couple of days that I am willing to put those disagreements aside and support the President's comprehensive plan to deal with illegal immigration. With certain conditions.

What I am most interested in defining at this point (since some sort of guest worker program seems all but inevitable) is what happens next.

Let's say we get the National Guard on the border and start building wall and fences and actually secure the border. Let's say we put Bush's guest worker plan into action. What do we do with those illegal aliens who don't voluntarily walk into an INS office, pay their fine and back taxed and fill out all the paperwork? What are we going to do with all of those who decide to just continue on as illegal aliens?

If the guest worker program does not come with a hard and fast sign-up-in-English deadline with strictly enforced employer fines and deportations then it is a complete policy joke.

It is amnesty.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 01:39 PM | No Comments | Add Comment