NOW THAT control of Congress has passed to the Democrats, many think Washington is poised for endless debate and gridlock. There are some issues, however, where President Bush and the 110th Congress could potentially reach decisive results. Few of those hold more tantalizing prospects than immigration reform. Huge rallies and ultimate failure greeted Washington the last time it tried to reach agreement on immigration.
But that was before the elections and the posturing that goes with them; now both sides have a real chance to deliver closure on an issue that badly needs it. Bush and Congress should work together on a bipartisan basis to come out with meaningful legislation that recognizes America's unique position as a haven for large-scale immigration while enforcing territorial integrity.
A few months ago, Congress was embroiled in the debate between the House bill (H.R. 4437) and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of the Senate, both allegedly designed to offer a cure to America's immigration problems. This debate eventually spilled over into the streets, where millions of protesters across the country voiced their concerns, particularly over the harsher version proposed by the House. Now the convulsions are largely over.
The elections passed and immigration did not sway as many voters as some predicted. Hopefully this lack of euphoria and growth of sensibility and rationalism will continue into 2007 to offer a satisfactory conclusion. The last thing immigration reform needs now is more social instability to stall potential progress.
The nature of immigration can often be tricky, so let's start out with basics. In the 1990s, Congress assigned the National Research Council to investigate the effects of immigration on American society and the economy. The authoritative NSC report, released in 1997 and titled The New Americans: Economic, Demographic and Fiscal Effects of Immigration, was largely positive towards the effects of immigration, stating, among other things, that "current immigrants are more likely than the native-born to be paying into the Social Security System and less likely to be receiving benefits."
It did generally conclude, however, that immigration has a variety of fiscal effects: "There are many immigrants who impose net fiscal burdens on the native-born, and many others who afford them net fiscal benefits," going on to conclude that "this diversity must be reviewed
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 5 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
