OP-ED: Time for Congress to get down to business on immigration

Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts on immigration reform.
President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986. The legislation provided for legalization of undocumented immigrants who had entered the United States before Jan. 1, 1982, and resided here continuously; required employers to attest to their employees’ immigration status, and made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants.
The next significant step occurred when the “Gang of Eight” in the U.S. Senate wrote the first draft of a new immigration bill in 2013. The proposed policies included a restricted path to citizenship for illegal aliens already in the United States, including “DREAMers”; substantial business immigration reforms focused on reducing backlogs and fast-tracking permanent residence for professionals in the STEM fields; an expanded and improved employment verification system, and more realistic work visa options for low-skilled workers, including an agricultural worker program.
In June 2013, the immigration bill passed the Senate with a strong majority: 68-32. Fourteen Republicans joined the Democrats. Unfortunately, the anti-immigration Freedom Caucus was too strong in the House of Representatives and no House action was taken on the bill.
Since Donald Trump has been in office the outlook for immigration reform appears to have dimmed and conditions at the border have deteriorated. While the wall remains Trump’s central goal, other divisive policies have emanated from the White House. These included “zero tolerance,” which was a humanitarian failure; threats to close the border, and executive action to move troops to southern Texas.
With all of this partisan disagreement and a national election on the horizon, why do I believe that now is the time for Congress to place immigration reform front and center?
First, there is a true humanitarian crisis at the border that requires immediate attention.
Second, while the immediate crisis involves Central American migration, comprehensive reform would guarantee that the concerns of all political actors would be addressed. Legislation that gives something to all interest groups provides political cover and is good government.
Third, immigration as a topic encapsulates many of the value conflicts we have in our society. These include hot-button issues like security, law breaking, inequality, equal opportunity, nationalism and what it means to be an American. Only a global omnibus legislative effort will win over all participants.
Here are proposals for each of the areas that should be considered and reformed:
The number of legal immigrants admitted to the country each year: Countries that have enacted quota systems that can quickly change along with economic conditions have proven to be far more successful. A nonpartisan immigration commission consisting of diverse interest groups should be appointed to set quotas each year to ensure flexibility within wide parameters set by Congress.
The economic stream: In return for more security measures, Republicans should be willing to give agribusiness a revised guest worker program because it favors employers and denies workers a permanent legal status. The new legislation should improve the “E-Verify” program to allow needed foreign labor access to American employment as needed.
The Trump administration has actually looked favorably on a merit-based system for professional immigrants, emulating the Canadian model. Prospective immigrants are prioritized based on merit and evaluated by a point system. In Canada, high-scoring immigrants are admitted with little delay, giving our neighbor to the north the most educated foreign-born population on earth.
The family stream: Our dysfunctional system is more liberal with the definition of family-based immigration than many countries while being stingy in the number of visas granted for each category. Many family member applicants qualify and wait 20 years for a visa to open. I propose eliminating siblings and married adult children from the family stream and dramatically increasing the visa numbers for spouses and minor children. The first part would satisfy the president and conservatives; the latter would unite more primary families, a positive for social engineering. Notably, the number of visas for immigrant family members from throughout North and South Americas should be substantially increased.
The Humanitarian Stream: Prior to 2013, one out of every 100 migrants sought asylum. Now, that number has skyrocketed to one out of every 10. Any new legislation should appoint more immigration judges to quickly hear and decide cases. This would reduce bogus claims and not permit asylum seekers to disappear into the underground economy while waiting years for a court date. Funds should be allocated to update the antiquated paper-based immigration court system. Mexico should be pressed to control its southern border. Rather than cut financial aid to the involved Central American countries, increase it to help stem violence and improve economic conditions.
Illegal Immigrants: Lastly, what is to be done with illegal immigrants already in the country? Satisfying the needs of DREAMers has become a major political issue for Democrats. Providing enhanced security to prevent future illegals from crossing the border is a primary campaign issue for Trump and his base.
The formulae to break this logjam is not difficult. The obvious compromise has been close to becoming a done deal on several occasions. Trump should be given a portion of his wall funding while DREAMers should be awarded a rational path to citizenship.
It is time to put politics aside and make the immigration crisis a focus to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform. This will not be easy, but it is what responsible elected officials do in times of crisis.