By tradition, the political season begins after Labor Day, but in a year where most other tradition has been turned in its ear, both sides have jumped the gun.
Democrats and Republicans are running attack commercials, either on TV or online, and the Joe Biden camp has just finished a [potentially offending word] pow wow with the Bernie Sanders bros to craft a 110-page outline of their aspirations, across a broad front.
I’ve decided to examine their ideas on immigration inasmuch as I have been reporting on illegal immigration for about 15 years and can read between the lines. Of course, this is a “report” of “recommendations” written by a “task force” that “may” be sewn into the Democratic National Platform, which is a road map of where they want to go. It has the official weight of a wasp.
In brief, it is not as radical as the ideas presented during the campaign by Vermont’s most popular Brooklyn socialist, Bernie Sanders. Its main focus is to undo most of what President Donald J. Trump did.
The immigration report leans heavily on the usual boilerplate of immigration being good for America, which most Americans believe.
It is silent on immigrants who arrive here without documents.
There is good mixed with the bad and “good” and “bad” is my opinion, based on law.
Why are borders important? Because they are one way in which nations define themselves, and are required for statehood. Every nation has borders and each defines who may enter legally and who may become citizens.
After throwing a few expected rocks at Trump’s policy for being callous, cruel and reckless, the task force report turns to maybe the least important immigration issue, but the one that electrifies Trump:
They will rescind the “national emergency” Trump authored to be able to grab some military funds for the wall, which the report describes as “unnecessary, wasteful, and ineffective.”
Biden then will knock down travel bans that disproportionately affect Muslims and Africans. No big whoop.
The Democrats will expand protections for some 700,000 Dreamers, brought here as children by their undocumented parents. A large majority of Americans agree with that, but the passage embraces “the parents of American citizen children to keep families together.”
In other words, amnesty, no punishment for having broken U.S. law.
Back to the report.
Democrats would expand refugee and asylum seekers, mentioning those fleeing gang and domestic violence, plus LGBTQ+ people. No numbers mentioned, but clearly we can’t accept everyone who wants to come here, which Gallup estimated at 147 million. That is not sustainable. The report is silent on who controls the intake.
The report seems to believe “systemic racism” controls our immigration practices, despite the reality that some 90% of immigrants are nonwhite (see chart). The racist claim is a lie. The numbers prove it.
Now we get to the mischief. Dems want a “roadmap to citizenship for the millions of undocumented workers” here now, fast-tracking those involved in essential services.
Sounds good, but lacking mention of any penalty.
Not even small punishments, as were promised by President Barack Obama, who said [potentially offensive word] illegals would have to take steps to get themselves right with their new country, and citizenship would have to be earned.
In person, Biden goes further. If elected, there would be a 100-day moratorium on deportations and there would be no deportations after that, except for those who committed felonies here.
No deportations is Open Borders. It means if you get here, even illegally, you get to stay.
Supporting that narrative is the report’s pledge to end workplace raids. Translation: We won’t harass people who are working illegally and taking jobs from Americans. We will not enforce the law. Also no raids in the community, schools, churches, health care facilities, benefits offices (in case you thought they got no benefits) and DMV offices. Plainly, the Dems don’t demand to eliminate ICE, they will simply tie it to a chair.
Continuing with the report, Democrats believe “family unity should be a guiding principle for our immigration policy.” Reuniting children and parents, sure. But will this be stretched to include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins?
This is opposed to skills-based immigration, by which people with talents we need are given preference.
During the great immigration wave of 100 years ago, it was family based and the millions who arrived here were put to work at unskilled factory jobs. We have little need for the unskilled today.
Almost as an afterthought, the task force mentions “awarding visas for permanent, employment-based immigration in a way that is responsive to labor market needs.”
The report closes with a pledge to address the “root causes of migration,” poverty and social injustice, including climate change, in home countries.
The false assumption is we can fix those problems there, when we can’t even fix them here.
The verdict: Biden’s plan is to the right of Bernie Sanders and far to the left of Barack Obama.
That was a great analysis of the immigration proposals by Biden, Stu. I’ve been reading bits and pieces here and there, but you really brought it into understandable context. Thank you.
BTW, can’t believe you said “pow-wow.” Next thing you know, “jive” or “whatsup” will be thrown into the pile of Five Thousand Official Offensive Words You May Not Use in 2020 and Beyond.
Thank you and I will continue to ridicule PC when possible.
Re other countries’ borders, someone should ask Biden where he stands on UNSC 2334, on which the US pointedly abstained in the Obama-Biden administration’s final days.
Unlikely he will be asked that question by MSM. (Too arcane for most Americans.)
2334 called Jerusalem’s Old City, with the Temple Mount, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Via Dolorosa and other Christian and Jewish sites “occupied Palestinian territory.” Palestinian Arabs have never ruled Jerusalem, which has had a renewed Jewish majority since the 1800’s. Americans should be concerned about this UN characterization on which the US abstained, and Biden should be asked whether he supported the US abstention when he was VP, and how he feels about these places being in “occupied Palestinian territory” now.
I know what it is and I stand by my previous remark.
Money talks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
George Soros owns the Democrat Party. He is their very major financier.
Biden and Sanders are just 2 puppets.Soros is their boss.
Just go back and review Soros views. You will know where the Democrat Party is heading.
You seriously don’t think senile Joe is calling the shots.
Charles – under the “money talks” heading, your forgot the dems next major financiers: The Trial Lawyers Ass’n.
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Stu,
Thanks for the summary. We don’t yet know if this is anything beyond campaign rhetoric, but even just as campaign rhetoric it does tell us something.
The Democrats seem to see no limits whatsoever to the positive value of “diversity,” and apparently the American public has no firm idea of what American purposes immigration might serve. Do the Democrats actually fear that we could have any distinctive American identity at all? People seem to agree that the current immigration system is “broken,” but lacking any clear idea of what immigration policy is for, reform is continually blocked in Congress.
Big companies easily bring in (until the epidemic) just about whoever they want. But for ordinary people, even with the best credentials, the immigration process is long, difficult and expensive –even for family members. Following current law, “credentials” almost don’t matter. (Otherwise, it would discriminate.)
One definition of “globalization” is simply “big finance” seeking cheap labor. On that conception, notice, the goal can be accomplished by exporting industry to low-wage countries overseas, or by importing cheap, pliable, immigrant labor. Neither of these alternatives of the globalizing regime does the lower middle-class in the U.S. much good. So, are the Democrats, the party of Jefferson, Jackson and FDR the defenders of the American worker, or are they primarily the friends of big finance –and foreign workers? How does Mr. Biden reconcile his stand on immigration with his pro-labor stand? Undermining the lower middle-class eventually puts the middle-class itself in peril and introduces political instabilities including much economic insecurity–pointed downward.
Perhaps the party of Jefferson, Jackson and FDR is now a party of “world citizens” –unable to acknowledge any specific American interests? We have been told so long how wonderful immigration is that we forget that the country we grew up in was built on the old “quota system” –the primary purpose of which was to stabilize the demographics of the country. While I firmly believe that diversity is a good thing–within limits–and I wouldn’t want to live in a national, ethnic mono-culture; in a period of national discord, division and dysfunction, it hardly makes sense to continually add to “diversity.”
Does anyone actually believe that if “American” turned out to have any specific meaning, then it would have to be negative –for not embracing the entire world? One can’t help but notice that the “international system” of countries is also pretty dysfunctional, right? Do we aim to import it? Or is it that big business will eventually “organize” us top-down? I find it difficult to image what the Democrats are thinking on the topic of immigration policy.
All the more reason to register “Independent.”
H.G. Callaway
My Sunday column will make a point about diversity for its own sake.
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Stu,
Interesting topic.
You may find the following review of interest:
http://www.lpbr.net/2019/07/identity-demand-for-dignity-and.html
I think to also recommend Baltzel’s 1976 article, “The Protestant Establishment Revisited” (from The American Scholar).
H.G. Callaway
In my councilmanic district we have a fantastic reprentative.Nobody has provided constituent services like him.
The progressives have been defeating the local representatives.
As much as I don’t like the D party ,I will become a D to vote for him in his next election. As an independent i wouldn’t be able to vote. When you are an independent you limit your vote to November. I think it is a bad idea.
You praise your Councilman but do not name him?
Mark Squilla
“Lord, save me from ‘compassionate’ Democrats!” Why does the Left insist on substituting ‘feelings’ for rational thinking? Was it ‘compassionate’ for the Left to insist that the law be changed to turn loose the mentally challenged on the public, instead of keeping them safe from each other and us? Sure, it felt ‘compassionate’ to turn them loose, but now the average person cannot walk the streets of any major city without being accosted by a borderline lunatic. One such harrowing incident for me in New York City reminded me of why I am not ‘compassionate.’ Ditto with illegal immigrants. It FEELS good to trash our borders and offer ‘sanctuary cities,’ but a nation without borders is not really a nation. Yet I do not want to punish those who were brought here illegally as little children, and who have grown up in our country; the are Americans in every way except legally. If Joe Biden is elected — and every day’s news and the opprobrium continually heaped on President Trump leads me to believe he will be — my worst fears about the future of our nation will be realized. Stu, you are an island of rationality in a sea of feelings — and the sharks are circling in that sea.
Thank you and they prefer feelings because feelings feel good.
If you look at other countries and what they are doing about immigration two things stand out. One they no longer have open borders and seek only those who are professionals or can perform jobs that call for training or education where they have a shortage. Because of the previous policies allowing large numbers to enter the problem has been rising unemployment numbers and riots by those immigrants without education all living in the same area who entered with no tools for employment and do not assimilate. The question relative to the Democratic platform is will the convention accept vague entry qualifications? Will they wave all charges that could be made against those who have entered the country illegally? Or how strong is the Sanders and other far left delegates that may overule the platform suggestions and simply allow a wide open border without any checks for criminal activity, employment qualifications or just illiminate the border patrol and ICE agencies?
The Sanders segment has been defanged. Faced with Trump, they will not bolt. Regardless of what they write, I believe most Democrats are for amnesty, handing out citizenships like peanuts, and Open Borders. They deny they are for Open Borders, but that is what Sanctuary Cities are.
Thanks for the reminder, Stu.
“Dems on Immigration” is one of an endless number of reasons to vote for Donald Trump. Why would I want to vote for the otherside after they have embraced their radical left? We’ve seen socialism up close for two and a half months. For me there is no other choice. I pray there are many more who agree with me. If not, Reimagine (the PC new word) America, or whatever they call it. Picture elections where your vote is just a formality. The handwriting is in yellow on the streets, and black on the walls! The song goes, “If you can’t get the picture, maybe you can read the writing on the wall.” It doesn’t seem so dramatic anymore.
HAPPY FRIDAY !!!
Stu,
What a freak’n’ mess! Doesn’t anyone see what is going on in Europe ? What happened to the EU’s philosophy on “let’s be friends and neighbors”? This is what happened. Socialism, poverty and a run on immigration. You can’t call it illegal if you don’t have borders.
I guess most of us sleeping Americans can’t see the writing on the wall. Mostly because the wall was vandalized, graffitied and burned !
The President better get busy with some positive actions and results to show to the masses.
Tony
There was a time called bi-partinship, where they would give and take. There were reasonable people then. And bills would pass. And there was a budget! Now there’s not even an inkling or a gesture. It’s Pelosi’s “My Way or no way…screw you!” Oh, yeah, an occasional resolution. Why take seriously the dems platform? It’s radical and will destroy our Great Country! This democratic party must be defeated! A good beating will set back the socialists movement hopefully a generation!