Even the Cold War border between the two Germanies, the most fortified manmade barrier, was breached about a thousand times a year. That, however, is not deterring House Republicans from demanding “fully secure” borders as a condition for immigration reform.
But, just like the liberal quest for a pristine environment, with money no object and no matter that it doesn’t boost public health — the GOP’s quest for total border security, regardless of cost, won’t enhance national security.
The comprehensive immigration reform that the Senate passed last week would, thanks to Republican insistence, increase border security spending by a whopping $46.3 billion over the next 10 years.
This is nine times more than originally proposed. And coming on top of the $90 billion already spent on border security in the last decade, it mocks Republican calls for austerity.
Where will this money go? Basically, toward militarizing the southern border and expanding police surveillance in the homeland.
The Corker-Hoeven amendment, attached at the last minute to buy wavering Republican votes, mandates a surge of 20,000 border patrol agents, doubling the current force, 700 miles of pedestrian fencing, doubling the current fence and 24/7 electronic and drone surveillance of the full border.
Even more disturbing, however, are the bill’s “interior enforcement” provisions. It is no surprise that the bill would bar employers from hiring any worker — foreign or American — without first E-verifying eligibility with Uncle Sam.
But the bill’s special touch is a new digital visa entry/exit system at all air and seaports with the mandate of prosecuting 90 percent of foreigners with expired visas.
Not even hardened criminals face such odds of apprehension. Only 64 percent of murderers and 45 percent of all violent criminals face arrest and prosecution.
In a world of finite resources, spending more on harmless unauthorized workers means spending less on genuine criminals, hardly a recipe for making America safe. This is the same illogic that enviros deploy when they waste billions to scrub superfund sites to make the dirt edible by children — instead of prioritizing cleanup dollars to fight genuine health threats.
But even such harsh security provisions are not enough for House Republicans. Why? Because it would allow unauthorized aliens to convert their temporary work permits into green cards after 10 years — and green cards into citizenship after another five.
This 15-year-long path to citizenship — five years more than what Rush Limbaugh recently said would be acceptable to him — is anathema to House Republicans. They decry this as “amnesty” that will only encourage future border jumping unless the border is fully secured first. They want a double-fence on the entire 2,000-mile border and proof positive that all illegal border crossings have stopped.
This is an impossible goal based on a profoundly misguided analysis.
If people can’t fulfill legitimate needs and aspirations legally, they don’t give up. They do so illegally. That’s why outlawing alcohol spawned a mafia-controlled trade in illicit liquor during Prohibition.
Likewise, Mexican workers thwarted by physical barriers from reaching American employers who need them will resort to human smugglers. This will mean more “coyotes” and organized crime in the country.
The more effective and humane way of deterring illegal immigration would be by creating more legal avenues. So if House Republicans are looking for something to fix in the Senate bill, they ought to focus on its woefully inadequate guest worker program.
The bill caps the number of low-skilled visas at 20,000 in the first year with a possibility of raising it up to 200,000 subsequently — about half of what the economy needs in good years. But here’s the rub: This higher quota will only be triggered if Big Labor agrees — which is as likely as North Korea agreeing to a Pyongyang chapter of ACLU.
Big Labor ought to be the Republican target — not poor Mexicans or desperate American farmers. They are not the villains and treating them as such will only make the GOP one — not make the country safer.
Shikha Dalmia, Washington Examiner Columnist, is a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets.
