Comment & Debate
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in a Jan. 2007 www.fairus.org section titled “The Costs of Illegal Immigration to New Jerseyites”: “The proposal to simply convert illegal alien residents to legal resident status with an amnesty violates a fundamental principle of immigration reform, because that will encourage rather than deter future illegal immigration. A policy that conveys the message that the country or any state or local government will tolerate and reward foreigners who ignore our immigration law invites the world to see illegal immigration as an accepted route to seeking a better life in our country and it will exacerbate the problem.”[1]
The Carrying Capacity Network (CCN), in a Jan. 2007 article from its website titled “AgJobs Alien Amnesty Bill Threatens to Become the Next McCain-Kennedy Mass Illegal Alien Amnesty! Help Stop it Now!:” “[We] must insist that they [Members of Congress] support a zero-net-immigration moratorium. Only pushing a moratorium calls the whole enterprise of mass immigration into question, defeats the Open Borders crowd’s argument that ‘…we can ‘solve’ the illegal immigration problem by legalizing them all…’ and thus puts maximum downward pressure on immigration numbers.”
Jim Gilchrist, MBA, CPA, Founder and President of the Minuteman Project, in a May 31, 2007 Global Politician article titled “Jim Gilchrist of Minuteman Project on Immigration, Terror, Elections,” wrote:
“I think there may be as many as 33 millions illegals in the United States. By granting amnesty, we’ll send a message that our immigration laws are not enforced and the more of you get in here, the greater the chances of getting amnesty. If this law [Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, S2611] is passed, I would say that by the year 2025, we may have another 150 million illegals and we’ll be a nation governed by mob rule.”
The Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (CAIR), in a www.cairco.org website section titled “Issues” (accessed Mar. 5, 2007): “An amnesty is a reward to those breaking the law. Giving amnesty to illegal aliens forgives their act of illegally entering the United States and in addition forgives related illegal activities such as driving illegally and working using false documents. An amnesty results in large numbers of foreigners who illegally entered the United States being given legal status as a reward for breaking the law. Amnesties encourage additional illegal immigration into the United States.”[2]
Bruce Fein. “A ‘Path to Citizenship’ for Current Illegal Immigrants?” Council on Foreign Relations. April 6th, 2007: “legalization will do nothing but aggravate illegal immigration.”