Thursday, November 21, 2013

Walker on Immigration Reform


Earlier this year, the Associated Press loosely interpreted Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s statements about the US Senate’s thousand-plus page immigration reform bill, for the mainstream media indicated that he endorses a pathway to citizenship for the eleven million illegal immigrants in the United States. In reality, his remarks were more complex, speaking first of all that this country should welcome immigrants from all over the world, and that the federal government should streamline the immigration to facilitate more people.

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, (not Madison.com or the Cap Times, incidentally enough) Governor Walker clearly stated “I do not support amnesty.” In the same interview, Walker then shared that the federal government should “fix the front door”, setting up a border fence and enforcement.

Walker is correct to indict the federal government’s constant refusal to reform the entire immigration system. Today, legal immigrants must wait at least eight years to finish filing all necessary paperwork, along with learning English and passing all required citizenship exams. In some countries, like India and China, the waiting period can extend for decades. Regarding a border fence, Walker is wrong. When the federal government eliminates the massive welfare state, inviting free immigration to work but not to welfare, a complex immigration system will become irrelevant.

Whether Walker is clarifying his prior remarks about making immigration easier for all newcomers, or shoring up his campaign for the 2016 Presidential nomination, Walker( and his supporters) must recognize the fundamental problems associated with immigration reform.

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