So what's wrong with this legislation? Take a look at
what the National Immigration Law Center has to say. They're not too impressed with this bill. And frankly, I'm not surprised.
While many of the Democrats behind this bill might have good intentions, this legislation itself has none of that. It would shift the entire immigration system from family based to "merit based".
So what's so bad about that, one might ask. Actually, there's plenty. I live in a community that's full of immigrant families here in Santa Ana. Under the proposed legislation, these families here in Central Orange County, and elsewhere, would be torn apart.
Current undocumented immigrants that receive the new "Z visas" can only stay for eight years, so long as they keep a job, and then they must return to their nation of origin to apply for reentry into the nation. What happens if these immigrants now have children here? What happens if they have become a part of the community? Should they be ripped away from their lives just to go through a reentry process? Not only does this sound inhumane, but it also sounds impractical.
But wait, it gets worse. This bill would also create a new underclass of immigrant workers. Under the new guest worker program, immigrant workers can only stay here temporarily, and then just return home. Meanwhile under this new "merit based" system of immigration, people would be admitted into this nation based on how "economically valuable" they would be. This really only serves the American corporations that want continued cheap labor. Under the new law, they can get their "disposable labor force" that can be discarded and replaced every few years. And yet, this bill would reduce the number of family members that can be admitted. This would create a permanent underclass in places like Santa Ana. They'd have no family, and no community. They'd have no ties to anyone.
That's why this is so troubling. |
