Two paths to citizenship, based upon differing culpability, can open the door to 11 million new Americans while reforming our immigration regime to welcome talented highly skilled workers and agricultural workers to stimulate our economy. Arizona’s success in the Supreme Court in “show me your papers,” with its attendant dangers of disparate impact, an issue not yet decided by the Supreme Court, seems to have galvanized both of its senators, Republicans John McCain and Jeff Flake, to be part of the Bipartisan Eight who decided enough was enough.
America must control its borders, and the law must be recalibrated. Joining with Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio and Democratic heavyweights Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Bob Menendez and Mike Bennet, America can now cure its weak enforcement regime, legalize the illegals who help America get stronger daily with their Puritan work ethic, attract highly skilled workers as well as folks willing to work on America’s farms to expand our economy, enforce sovereignty on the border including with high-tech drones, and hold employers liable for disobeying the law. The segregated pathway to citizenship, based upon an amount of culpability, speaks with compassion and proportionality and bodes well for all of us. Its was said a long time ago: the law must never be an ass.
Our broken immigration system, from bad enforcement to silly exclusion of highly skilled workers who could stimulate our economy, cried out for reform. The electoral cry heard in the November 2012 presidential election was the trigger to both save the nation and our vital two party system. No one more than the Republicans need to enact immigration reforms if they are to re-attract the Hispanic vote block.
America’s best is always ahead, as we have the ability to recalibrate and each one of us is a patriot – after all, isn’t that the ultimate joy of being an American – the ability to join patriots Thomas Jefferson and Nathan Hale. Incidentally, America’s fan club is not limited only to those already American, as our exceptionalism is felt the world over. We just need our foreign policy to be less temporal and more friendship-bedrock based. Also worth noting is that our domestic freedom and lawful process permits Marco Rubio to become a star and join those already in that league.
This Plan will now have traction in both houses, as it is filibuster-proof in the senate. The President awaits a bill that moves 11 million illegals onto a path of 11 million future voters who will remember that America acted with compassion and proportionality. As a New Yorker, I take special pride in our senior senator, the very Honorable Chuck Schumer – from presiding over a great inauguration to a great immigration reform regime. You do us all proud, Senator Schumer!