Immigration Policy

Congress has always been in control of immigration. Period. They write the laws. They make the assignment of tasks to the Executive Branch. It is then up to the President and his/her delegates to perform the tasks as provided by law and policy. Policy is on the Executive Branch, but it must conform to the law.

Many times in the past 30 years, Presidents and their advisors have worked with bi-partisan congressional teams to address immigration issues. The Presidents have been willing. It is the congress that has been ineffective or determinedly hands off.

The current Congress did take up immigration and had a well written bill for action. The lobbying efforts pointed to massive approval of the bill. However, Trump asked that it be defeated so he would have an issue to campaign on for the 2024 elections. Republican congresspeople followed his dictate, and the bill failed.

That means immigration remains a problem to be solved. It also means it is a republican problem to solve. They are clearly on the fault line.

Our nation is one of immigrants. All of us with the exception of those native born to the land well before white Europeans arrived on our shores. The American Indian ‘owned’ this land. All other citizens in America are therefore immigrants.

My family came in 1630. Although that is a long time ago, they were not native here, therefore I am not native either. I am an immigrant as a result. Many generations removed, but still an immigrant.

The strength of America is not the one or two primary nations sending its people to our shores, but the multicultural diversity of many nations of origins of our people. Two hundred countries have created our population. That is diverse.

The makes for incredible richness of our cultural heritage. We have not one culture but nearly 200.

No one culture dominates or should dominate our national identity. It is all of us together who create our identify. This makes our focus on fairness, equity, and diversity stronger than other nations. We should never avoid it. It is who we are.

Whenever people come to enter America, the process may be orderly or not. That depends on the numbers seeking entry at any given time. We often established quotas to bring order to massive movement of populations. We have also used those times to analyze why the movement is happening.

Currently, upheaval in foreign governance and military activity, encourage people to flee and seek safe haven. Often that haven is the USA. We should be proud of this natural selection of a new home. Welcome it and make newcomers welcome. Help them settle and become productive citizens. This will benefit all of us shortly and in the long run. Why make it more difficult for political reasons?

Let’s solve immigration policies and processes. Our future depends on it.

September 23, 24

 

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