Gov. Brown turns attention to immigration
Jan. 18, 2013
By Joseph Perkins
California is home to nearly one-quarter of the nation’s 11 million or so illegal immigrants. So it is understandable, laudable even, that Gov. Jerry Brown intends to be a player in upcoming discussions back in Washington on comprehensive immigration reform.
“I’ll be directing some efforts on national reform,” Brown said Thursday, in a statement released by his office. The governor appears most interested in debate in the nation’s Capital as to whether the federal government should go ahead and create a “pathway to citizenship” for the undocumented.
After much polarization here in the Golden State on the thorny issue of illegal immigration, there now appears to be an emerging consensus that the state’s undocumented population, most of which hails from south of the border, out to be brought out of the shadows.
As Brown prepares to offer California’s prescribed approach to national immigration reform, he has chatted up business, agriculture, labor and other groups, according Gil Duran, the governor’s spokesman.
State level
Brown has already embraced certain reforms at the state level.
In 2012, he signed legislation allowing issuance of California driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants whose parents brought them to this side of the border when they were young, and who have been upstanding state residents since.
And in 2011, the governor signed a measure permitting undocumented kids who have lived here in Golden State most of their lives, who have attended California high schools, to apply for Cal Grants and other student aid to attend college.
When he goes to Washington to talk immigration reform, he ought to lend his support, as governor of the state boasting both the nation’s largest population and biggest economy, to several proposals percolating on Capital Hill that would be particularly beneficial to California.
That would include a guest worker program, proposed by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, which would provide the labor the nation’s agricultural sector needs to harvest crops, while conferring legal status upon undocumented laborers who make up most of the nation’s 1.6 million farm workers.
It might also include a proposal to make permanent law an executive order by President Obama that takes effect this Spring. It makes it possible for undocumented immigrants here in the United States who are immediate relatives of American citizens to apply for a “green card,” permanent residency, without having to return to their home country.
Then there’s the proposal by Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would offer undocumented immigrants the pathway to U.S. citizenship Gov. Brown favors.
It would require the undocumented to have a job, learn English, commit no crimes, and take their place at the back of the line for naturalization (a process that can take as many as 10 years), behind legal immigrants.
Prop. 187
A UC Berkeley-Field Poll published this past September revealed just how far California has come since 1994, when voters approved Proposition 187, the Save Our State Initiative.
Among other things, the 1994 ballot measure denied heath care to undocumented immigrants, denied undocumented children enrollment in California schools, and ordered state and law enforcement officers to report to both the state Attorney General and the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service the dossiers of detainees suspected of being illegal immigrants.
Eighteen years later, the UC Berkeley-Field Poll found that two-thirds of California voters favored a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Pushing immigration reform is smart politics for Brown. But, more importantly, it’s the right thing to do for California.
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I am very mixed on the license issue of immigrants brought here as children. They did nothing wrong, and yet they are here illegally. I guess when push comes to shove I give these illegals the benefit of the doubt.
It was George W Bush who brought in more illegals than any other president including Obama. He Then called his party raciest when they demanded he close the border to the Narcoterristas who are shooting chemical arms at Amerikas kids, crack cocaine, heroin, meth.
Obama just sold them AK47’s. And the republicans let him get away with it. No regional director of anything would approve selling assault weapons to the drug cartels in Mexico without telling that countries leaders. That project was approved by Obummer and the republican looked the other way.
Hondo….
GENETIC DISEASE OF THE LIBERAL-DEMOCRATS, MORE TAXES, MORE SPENDING AND EVEN MORE TAXES?
Everybody can have a say in this illegal immigration controversy, by calling their federal and state representatives? President Obama is determined to give people who have no respect for our laws, a path to citizenship; even low key criminals. Zero-in on your politicians and demand they vote for passage of Texas Republican Lamar Smith “(The Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 2885)” to remove unauthorized workers from nationwide business by implementing mandated E-Verify. Both businesses and the American people overwhelmingly support E-Verify. Nearly 360,000 American employers voluntarily use E-Verify and over 2,700 new businesses sign up every week. The program quickly confirms 99.5% of work-eligible employees. It’s free, fast, and easy to use. With 23 million Americans unemployed or underemployed and unknown millions of illegal immigrants working in the U.S., now is the time to increase E-Verify. Then we MUST demand passage of the “Birthright Citizenship bill (Rep. Steve King, R-IA; H.R.140)”, which will collapse the intentional smuggling of the illegal unborn into the United States to collect hundreds of billions of dollars in entitlements from taxpayers by parents. Plus the parents have figured how to scam the child tax credit of $4 to 7 Billion dollars without paying anything, and the IRS ignoring this disgraceful theft. Way above the original figure of $113 Billion dollars is being extracted at state level, with many welfare programs that don’t exist for Americans and legal residents. The welfare state is flourishing for illegal aliens, freeloaders from many different countries and we get the bill?
Called “anchor babies,” the children of illegal immigrants born/ smuggled into the United States cannot actually prevent deportation of their parents. It is not until they attain the age of 21 that the children are able to file paperwork to sponsor their parents (CHAIN MIGRATION) for legal immigration status. The cost is unbridled for the U.S. taxpayer who is charged with the free education, health care and low income shelter and cash payments. The parents remain illegally exposed until that point and deportable. A well regulated Guest Labor force could be provided for agriculture, but not permanent residency. Plus the STEM program for technical professionals who wish to immigrate, but not unlimited numbers? The impoverished should not apply, as America has millions of its own under privileged. All the facts, the shocking costs to federal and mainly states welfare benefits, which the Liberal Progressives press, does not wish to be known at NumbersUSA website.
Are we about to lose our rights, our guns to protect our families and a government influenced by the 7.billion annual cost for the United Nations; and the second illegal alien AMNESTY? The cost for this negative immigration application as reported by the Heritage Foundation ($ TWO TRILLION DOLLARS PLUS) for processing, retirement and pensions out of your taxes.
I DONT approve at all. These people dont want a path to citizenship or they would have entered the right way. All they want are our benefits and free stuff. You have to be freakin insane to think they are going to pay back taxes and everything Rubio wants. When they have gotten a free ride, why would they all of a sudden gain a conscience. This is BS.
And why do a special group of people get away with breaking the law? No one else does. More crap.
I say send them home. They broke the law and they knew it. Now its time to pay the piper. They took a chance and lost. This goes for their kids too. Maybe they would think before going against our laws if they knew they were going to get punished.
They also are using up resources that are scarce in this state, hospitals, schools, power, roads and causing everything to be more congested. And thats just the tip of the iceberg.
NO AMNESTY PERIOD.
I live in an apartment complex where 90% of the tenants are illegal immigrants. They throw trash in the hallways, parking lots, and have ten or more people living in a one bedroom apartment. On the weekends, they play loud Latin music, drink boat loads of beer, and allow their children to run aimlessly. The Police are a regular fixture where I live, as are the Sheriffs.
I live in an apartment complex where 90% of the tenants are illegal immigrants. They throw trash in the hallways, parking lots, and have ten or more people living in a one bedroom apartment. On the weekends, they play loud Latin music, drink boat loads of beer, and allow their children to run aimlessly. The Police are a regular fixture where I live, as are the Sheriffs.
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I used to live in San Ysidro, and it was like this sometimes- not often- at my condo complex.
really people if your gonna say stuff about how awful immigrants are you should see who it is your talking about . they are people just like you and me it shouldnt matter where they come from a lot of awesome people are immigrants.
i think in most cases, immigrants that come here illegally are poor, uneducated and are fleecing the benefits we have here. they will do nothing more than bring their problems here.
my neighbors were nice and all, but they had 5 cars, 9 people and made a lot of noise and would empty their ash trays in the street in front of my house.
if there’s a crime nearby, they will not call the police.
it gets old very fast and becomes a pain to deal with. i think of that EVERY time i went to work and the unemployed dad took his kids to school. the other neighbor has a 50″ TV and is on food stamps.
i’m off to work paying my taxes folks. i work in the private sector.
and i pay more and more every year to support these people.
i cannot do it anymore.
i want a secure border.
Doug:
brush up on your neighborology next time.