Principles for immigration reform.
The U.S. immigration system is in need of fundamental reform,
according to a report by the Center for American Progress.
According to the report's authors, a series of piecemeal
initiatives at the local, state and federal levels have sought to fill
the vacuum created by the defeat of comprehensive immigration reform
earlier this year.
The authors say that creating a modern immigration system is an
undoubtedly complex task. It requires achieving the right balance
between enforcement, at our borders and at work sites, and establishing
mechanisms for bringing the estimated 12 million undocumented to be
full, contributing members of our society, and creating the means for
regulating the flow of immigrants into the country.
The report, Progressive Growth: Transforming America's Economy
through Clean Energy, Innovation, and Opportunity, offers six basic
tenets that the authors say must inform the core architecture of
immigration reform.
To create a robust, modern immigration system worthy of our
country, the report says we must:
* Accept increased labor mobility
* Incorporate robust enforcement and safeguards
* Protect U.S. workers
* Increase and diversify legal immigration
* Resolve the status of the undocumented
* Foster an inclusive American identity
To maximize the possibility of success, these steps must be taken
together. Attempting to do one (or even some) and not others will simply
perpetuate the dysfunction that currently grips our immigration system,
according to the authors.
By the Center for American Progress
COPYRIGHT 2007 American Public Welfare
Association Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Copyright 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights
reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.
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