Mean Immigration Bills Suck

When the immigration deal was first announced earlier this week, I assumed that the reaction from many conservative quarters--that Senate Republicans had sold them out--was well-warranted. But upon further review of the details of the bill, I'm not so sure if this "we're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore" self-rightous indignation is realy an appropriate reaction.

For while the bill is certainly flawed in many respects, and questions about some of its provisions remain unanswered, it's not as bad as a lot of conservative commentators are hyping it as. More bones were thrown the conservative way that has been acknowledged and it should be noted that pro-illegal immigration groups are squaking almost as loudly as conservatives who cry amnesty.

From yesterday's Wall Street Journal (sub req):

That idea already has drawn howls from immigrant groups, who say a point system would favor educated Europeans over Hispanics and Asians. "It's mean," says Karen Narasaki, president of the Asian American Justice Center, a Washington advocacy group. She adds that immigrants depend on family members to help them adjust to the U.S. and staff the small businesses such as fruit stands and motels that many of them open.

Business groups are also wary. Employers who already are desperate for low-skilled workers might not be able to get enough of them under a point system that gives weight to college degrees, they say. "Are only rocket scientists going to get in?" asks Laura Reiff of the Essential Workers Immigration Coalition, which represents service industries.

Those employers might have to look to the guest-worker program. The bill proposes that 400,000 workers a year be admitted on two-year Y visas and matched with employers who have proved they can't find workers in the U.S.

Guest workers could renew their visas twice, but would have to leave for a year each time. Anyone who didn't leave when the visa expired would be barred permanently from re-entering the U.S. Immigrant groups were quick to denounce those provisions. " "Come here and work, but we don't really want you to be one of us." That is not a recipe for a healthy society," said Cecilia Muñoz of the National Council of La Raza, an Hispanic advocacy group.

Any bill that gets this kind of reaction from racial interest groups like La Raza and businesses only interested in getting as large and as cheap a pool of labor as possible can't be all that bad.