The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010: A Disgrace!

By guest blogger Santiago J. Valenzuela

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 was introduced recently by Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Leahy (D-VT).  Assuming that this summary is correct, this is a terrible bill.  If passed into law, this legislation will:

  • Deny the right of business owners to hire whom they please
  • Impose fines on employers for hiring non-American labor (up to $1,500 per application for a work visa!)
  • Create unjust, vague requirements for employers to "[ensure] that American labor is unavailable" for the position
  • Establish yet another government bureaucracy to arbitrarily determine how many temporary worker visas will be issued

The proposed legislation also has provisions for stricter border enforcement, which further bloats government bureaucracies and leads to more wasteful spending by unnecessarily expanding border enforcement agencies.

The government could solve the problem of illegal immigration and cut the costs of border enforcement by simply recognizing a business owner's right to employ whomever they want.  By keeping out only those who pose a legitimate threat to US citizens (like violent criminals and terrorists), the government could boost the economy (by allowing an influx of low-cost labor) and eliminate or greatly reduce several government agencies.

As long as politicians believe that this type of "comprehensive immigration reform" will be a solution for illegal immigration, they will continue to violate the rights of American employers and harm the US economy.

Comments (2)

Santiago employers already have many laws that enforce hiring standards due to Affirmative Action, Title VII, and Fair Labor Laws just to name a few ... this really seems to be more of the same

Conservatives wouldnt know capitalism even if it bit them in the ass.An immigrant selling his/her labor in the open market is codemned,yet conservatives will not crush or expose union thugs and thier collectivistic ideas.The accusations range from lowering wages, to taking away the so called American jobs.My first counter argument goes something like this,One government cannot set the minimum wage,the market does,two,there is nothing called an American job,since jobs are not a zero sum game nor should the employer be forced to higher,government approved only workers.

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