I spend so much time on this blog criticizing our government for what they aren’t doing, that I am now elated to announce I can applaud Congress for what they are in the process of doing. Reps. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), both freshman Congressman elected in last years midterm elections have given me yet another talking point with regards to do nothing career politicians and the need for fresh blood in Congress. The Hill is reporting today they have introduced The Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act which focuses on three areas: employment enforcement, interior enforcement and increased border security.

One of the more controversial provisions would make the so-called E-Verify program mandatory, a move that raises major concerns with industry officials.

Proponents of the E-Verify program say it allows employers an inexpensive way to ensure they are hiring legally documented workers.

The Shuler-Bilbray bill would also close existing loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to use the same Social Security number and will require information-sharing between the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and the IRS.

In order to increase border security, the bill seeks to provide an 8,000-agent increase for the U.S. Border Patrol and an expansion of the investigative abilities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

At press time, 42 Democrats and 36 Republicans had signed on to the bill, including several freshman Democrats who are in Republican-leaning congressional districts.

However, top Democratic and GOP leadership members have not signed on as co-sponsors.

The last sentence there is alarming considering this is exactly the type of bill which the American people were asking for. Top members from both parties better wake up and get on board with this measure or they will soon find themselves out of a job (hopefully).

Captain Ed notes:

The latest bipartisan proposal is also noteworthy for what it does not include. SAVE says nothing about guest worker programs or normalization. It also doesn’t propose any changes to the legal immigration process to make it easier for legal immigrants to enter the country. SAVE moves away from the comprehensive approach to immigration reform by addressing the critical issues first, and leaving the other components of comprehensive reform for another debate at another time.

The text of the bill has not been released yet so there is not way to know for sure if there are any loopholes or other forms of amnesty provisions buried inside of it. However the fact that this bill was brought to us by two freshman Congressman who have likely not been corrupted by lobbyists as of yet, would lead me to believe this bill is on the level. I look forward to reading more about it, and challenge the top leaders of both parties to speak publicly on how they intend to vote.

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Congress, Features, Immigration, Politics