Posted by
Rocky Mountain Foundation on Friday, April 10, 2009 4:18:34 PM
"The Obama administration, and Congress, may need to pass immigration reform piecemeal.
"Secure the border first. Then create a system that allows for guest workers and a fraud-proof identifier so the government can crack down on businesses that knowingly hire illegal workers. A guest-worker program would eliminate the dangerous human smuggling and border crossings and alleviate such related crimes as identity theft that now occur as a way of filling jobs.
"Then maybe there will be some political will to talk about a path to citizenship for those already here."
So concluded The Denver Post in an editorial published April 10.
Except for one glaring omission, The Post has it right about a step-by-step approach. President Bush couldn't get that right. U.S. Sen.John McCain (R-Ariz.) couldn't get that right (but claimed later to have "learned" from the huge citizen backlash against "comprehensive" reform). We'll see whether President Obama can get it right.
The Post's glaring omission is birthright citizenship. A guest worker program must be preceded by Congress and the president acting to fix the unacceptably liberal interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment.