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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Immigration reform is dead

Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 09:06 PM

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Comprehensive immigration reform for 2010 and beyond is dead. There, I've said it. It is time to concentrate on alternative strategies.

As the founder of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, a movement that took thousands of Irish to Capitol Hill to lobby for reform, it gives me no pleasure whatsoever to say this.

I know first-hand of many Irish undocumented who live in fear that the knock on the door will come. They are very much in my thoughts as I write this.

But the math does not lie. There is no chance in hell that a filibuster-proof majority exists in the U.S. Senate for most anything right now, let alone immigration reform. The Senate is where American legislation goes to die.

It might be possible to squeak a bill by the House, but there are more than enough anti-reform votes in the Senate to block any hope of passage. That will not change.

For fifteen years or so, a great effort was undertaken to pass a comprehensive reform bill. It looked like the promised land when the Kennedy/McCain bill looked certain to gain passage in 2007, but a filibuster-proof majority never existed.

Now, there are even fewer votes despite a Democratic majority. It is time to ditch comprehensive reform and focus on parts of immigration reform that can pass.

The Dream Act is one, which would allow undocumented people who were brought here as children to become legal. It is cruel and unusual punishment to deport such people who, through no fault of their own, were brought here often as infants, and have known no other life.

Start by passing that, let's then look at what other areas we can address and adopt a piecemeal approach rather than a grand sweeping plan which has brought us nowhere.

The definition of madness is that we continue to do the same thing over and over hoping for a different result. It is time to stop the madness.

First, we must be honest and admit that there is no political future for comprehensive reform. Only then can we actually start to get legislation passed.

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Madeleine | Mar 15, 2010, 04:03 AM EDT

Being here because you sneaked in does not make you an American, even if you carry and American flag.

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Madeleine | Mar 15, 2010, 04:02 AM EDT

The above picture shows how uninformed these people are. My Grandmother came here at 16 from Norway and waited 4 years just to get passage.

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Madeleine | Mar 15, 2010, 04:00 AM EDT

I think Obama is going to discuss the immigration problem, he has to do soemthing, he made promises and he has to keep some of them.

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kickstar | Feb 26, 2010, 04:58 PM EST

I would say the Irish Illegals are fully in favor of immigration Controls as long as it doesn't affect them and only the little Brown people get kicked out, There are some posters on here making the case for Europeans to be kept on in the case of any reform, But the facts are Anyone who came to the US Illegally are law breakers and as such will be deported.

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pmunited | Feb 25, 2010, 12:38 PM EST

Show us where the line is so that the Irish can come here legally? I think you will find there is no line. That is why we need immigration reform. Most illegals want to be legal. It is not a life anybody would choose willingly.

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mhichil | Feb 24, 2010, 11:10 AM EST

OH! you have them too?? There is a big difference between illegal immigration and immigration. The first one has enormous cost, the other has great shared benefit. If you want to move: Get in line! it's what we do here and spend most of out lives there. There is another line for illegals, those who steal jobs and resources,.. it is not nearly as much fun as disneyland. America loves the irish , come on over the right way and help us deport the others!

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cailinahaon | Feb 23, 2010, 11:24 AM EST

For all you people disagreeing with immigration reform, if you are reading this I would imagine that some member of your family arrived in this country as immigrants and should be a bit more sympathetic to the plight of immigrants. The Dream Act will only legalize children who have completed HS and they then have to either go to college, do community service or join the military to even qualify. It is thought that this act would barely even cover 50% of the illegal children in the US.

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Pat Riley | Feb 22, 2010, 11:19 PM EST

Enforce the immigration laws and prosecute the employers who hire the illegals and the illegal immigration problem will disappear. I'd like to know where gcallanpowers got that 53% figure from. If it's accurate something needs to be done to drastically reduce it.

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cailinahaon | Feb 22, 2010, 07:29 PM EST

I brought up the Dream Act at the last meeting in Rorys Dolans last year and was just told, it doesnt affect enough people of Irish decent for them to support it. I have kids here undocumented and it is so hard for them One is in college now and has had her whole education in the USA, I think kids should not be punished for what their parents done.

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gcallanpowers | Feb 22, 2010, 11:35 AM EST

latest statistics state 53% of legal immigrants in usa are on some form of welfare payment,,and 100% of children born in usa of illegal immigrant parents are on usa welfare,,food stamps and free medical!!

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beachline | Feb 22, 2010, 11:15 AM EST

OK Naill, didn't you like my comment? It apparently went into the waste basket.

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irishwxman | Feb 22, 2010, 10:02 AM EST

Well spoken jmohan01. I couldn't have said it better myself.

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jmohan01 | Feb 21, 2010, 03:20 PM EST

You must control your borders. For many Americans it has nothing to do with race or creed. We cannot allow everyone into the country. I have friends who are illegal here in this country, they are not European, and they are good people, but the rule of law needs to be followed. Many people are waiting legally to come here. I believe like most Americans fairness for the immigrants as well as for America. I am the son of legal Irish Immigrants.

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Monsoonman | Feb 21, 2010, 01:06 PM EST

"The Dream Act is one, which would allow undocumented people who were brought here as children to become legal".....This is a sham, a way to get the camels nose under the tent. You try to make us feel like we are a cruel heartless country by enforcing our immigration laws. You let the kids stay, the rest of the family stays too, we know the game.

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Spiritranger | Feb 21, 2010, 09:38 AM EST

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS are criminals having committed a crime to get to and live in the US. The propaganda from the left appalls. LEGAL immigrants earned their right to be citizens. The twisted sympathy for criminals here is very, very sick. Liberalism IS a mental disorder, as a fine Jewish gentlemen, descendant of LEGAL immigrants to the USA once wrote.

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