Immigration Dithering

          A similar version of this blog post was published in the letters section of my local paper, The Chronicle of Centralia, Washington on June 29, 2010.  Despite some local references, I thought it would be of use to the greater conservative community.

          Lewis County commissioner Bill Schulte is wrong.  As reported in The Chronicle on June 22^nd, the Lewis County Commission wanted to guarantee that contractors, working on large projects, were hiring people in this country lawfully and were eligible to work.  Mr. Schulte voted against such verification.

          The resolution before the commission required some, not all, contractors to use E-Verify, a Department of Homeland Security program, used to ensure the lawful status of workers in the United States.  Mr. Schulte correctly stated that the program did not fix our border or immigration problems, would not end illegal immigration or track and deport criminals.  All true, but how can guaranteeing tax dollars are used to employ U.S. citizens be bad?  Government, at all levels, has a responsibility to use American taxpayer money for the benefit of American taxpayers. 

          Border security and verifying citizenship has been a basic duty of government since the time of the Romans, but what should be fundamental to American politicians has instead led to generations of dithering.  Hilda Solis was part of the Hispanic Caucus while in congress and became Secretary of Labor for the Obama administration.  Recently she urged illegal workers in the United States to call the Department of Labor confidently if their employer abridged their right to a fair wage.  Worker exploitation is wrong and that is not my problem with her statement. My issue is the apparent policy of the current administration to use taxpayer money to punish American employers (taxpayers) while at the same time confidently aiding illegal immigrants and not securing the border.    

          Washington State governor, Christine Gregoire, complained several years ago that the federal government was shirking its responsibility to reimburse the state for nearly $50 million in costs for incarcerated illegal aliens.  While she complains about costs and raises taxes on working Americans, Washington is one of the few states to provide state tax dollars for illegal alien healthcare benefits and one of only three states to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.  Even the Department of Licensing admits this brings illegals to the state.   

           Mr. Schulte stated, “By the time you get down to the county level, you’ve already lost the battle.” Fortunately, Mr. Schulte was in the minority and the resolution before the commission passed.  E-Verify will not fix our immigration problems, but the battle cannot be won unless it is fought.