Overstayers Beware! From Philstar.com

[Bruce]

 

18 billion reasons for immigration reform

IMMIGRATION CORNER By Michael J. Gurfinkel (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 27, 2013 - 12:00am

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Recently, the Migration Policy Institute issued a report, concluding that detaining and deporting illegal immigrants is the federal government’s highest criminal law enforcement priority, and that the US spends more on immigration enforcement than on any other federal law enforcement activity combined:

“The US government spends more on its immigration enforcement agencies than on all its other principal criminal federal law enforcement agencies combined. In FY 2012, spending for CBP, ICE, and US ‑ Visit reached nearly $18 billion. This amount exceeds by approximately 24% total spending for the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Secret Service, US Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), which stood at $14.4 billion in fiscal year 2012.”

The report further notes that more than half of all federal prosecutions involve immigration‑related crimes. In fact, the DHS “referred more cases to the courts for prosecution than all of the Justice Department’s law enforcement agencies combined, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.” Moreover, on a daily basis, approximately 430,000 people are in detention (jail) for immigration violations, which is more than the entire federal prison system. ICE has also reported that it deported\removed 410,000 people in 2012 alone.

First, I want to be clear that laws should be obeyed and respected, and that people who violate laws should be punished. However for our government to “prioritize” immigration enforcement over all other forms of law enforcement combined shows that our government has lost its direction, and has its priorities all wrong. How is our society “safer” when our government focuses on going after “overstays,” while violent criminals, rapists, and murderers are given less priority? Our courts and jails are filled with cases involving immigration violations. Think about all the costs of housing these people in jail and prosecuting them. The money would be much better spent prosecuting violent criminals and dangerous people rather than going after people whose only “crime” was to want a better life for themselves and their families in the “Land of Opportunity.” Simply put, I believe that a felon, murderer, or bank robber, is more of a threat to our country and safety than an overstaying visitor working as a caregiver. Yet our government spends more going after the caregiver, whose only “crime” was to violate our immigration laws by working without the proper visa.

This is like a situation where a policeman is standing on a corner and sees a jaywalker and a bank robber. Both are breaking the law, but the policeman goes after the jaywalker instead of the bank robber. It seems that our government is “prioritizing” the jaywalkers. That is wrong. We would be far safer if they protect us against the bank robbers versus the jaywalkers. We would also be safer if they spend resources, time, and energy focusing on felons, rather than overstays, or those who are out of status.

This mentality (of prioritizing immigration enforcement) came about because of the passage of laws, especially in 1996, which emphasized “enforcement” of immigration laws, rather than focusing on “benefits” or immigration reform. However, this report, showing an $18 billion price tag for immigration enforcement in 2012 (and $219 billion spent over the past 25 years) demonstrates that we will save money and be more safe and secure if we will have comprehensive immigration reform, rather than prioritizing immigration enforcement over all other law enforcement combined.

Opinion ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

 

Edited January 27, 2013 by Bruce

[Dave Hounddriver]

As I read through this I realize it is all about US immigration and when I go to the links and read the authors other articles, they are also about filipinos going to the US.  If I am right then the topic heading is entirely misleading.  Am I missing something here?

[Bruce]

As I read through this I realize it is all about US immigration and when I go to the links and read the authors other articles, they are also about filipinos going to the US.  If I am right then the topic heading is entirely misleading.  Am I missing something here?

 

What caught my eye was the use of the word 'overstayers' as written by a Philippine reporter. While it is about the US, it is written in a Phils slant. If you don't think is it relevant, then you can delete the post, no problem with me.

[intrepid]

While I can bust on our government as much as,...no More than, the next guy this artical is very slanted and misleading.  However, there is one statement

that is correct and right on.  "we will save money and be more safe and secure if we will have comprehensive immigration reform"

just mho,

danny

[i am bob]

This is an article by a reporter who works in both the Philippines and the US.  When he originally wrote this article, he was going to do a version for both US and another for the Philippines as both are entirely in the same situation.  Unfortunately the Philippine papers picked up on and printed his US version before he got his Philippine copy ready.  So, yes, obviously this article is pertinent for the Philippines too - just change the names of the government organizations and voila! 

 

As for the meat of the story?  I totally agree with it.  Though I also think that some countries need to be just a little more stringent on who they allow in the country in the first place rather than laboriously hunting down people afterwards.

[JJReyes]

Michael J. Gurfinkel is a lawyer practicing in the field of US immigration. For huge fees, his associates and affiliate offices in the Philippines will help you with the US immigration application process.. The article is self-serving, He wants your business. One tactic is to use fear to get it.

 

No one knows how many illegal immigrants are in the United States. Some claim as many as 20 million. If you consider all as criminals, there are more illegal immigrants than murderers, rapists, robbers, drug dealers, etc. combined. You can't throw everyone in jail.

[i am bob]

I stand corrected JJR.

 

Actually I had just realized I was thinking of the wrong guy when I wrote the above.  I was coming back to correct this when I saw JJR's posting that corrected my error.

 

:bonk:

[i am bob]

No one knows how many illegal immigrants are in the United States. Some claim as many as 20 million. If you consider all as criminals, there are more illegal immigrants than murderers, rapists, robbers, drug dealers, etc. combined. You can't throw everyone in jail.

 

There's an element to your post I'm missing in what you are saying JJ...  Is this another way of saying what you are trying to get across?  "If you count the number of people who get parking tickets every day, there are more of them than those who do hard crimes too.  But who is more important to get off the streets?  I would say the ones committing the hard crimes."

[Bruce]

Actually I think it is a diversion. By trying to focus law enforcement personel and money towards more violent and pressing criminal issues, the writer of the article is thinking that the jaywalkers will be able to live another day in the US.

 

However, as also posted before, there are benign non invasive / non native species and then there are VERY invasive / non native species who try to actually, by numbers and voting and intimidation try to take over the host country.

 

An interesting thing to me with the US and Phils, I have never heard a US / UK / OZ citizen say anything about taking over the Philippines and I have never heard any Pinoys saying anything about taking over the US. Sadly, there are those others who actively want to take over other countries any impose their laws on all. While many forum members (me too) would like to see some changes in the way the Philippine government thinks and acts, cut red tape and streamline things to make life better for all, no one yet has made the slightest mention of taking over anything.

 

In that light.... chasing jaywalkers and non invasive / non native species does seem like a huge waste of time and resources. To me, having a working Pinay nurse over stay in the US and a retired guy with a support check from the US over stay in Phils.... isn't much of a crime to me.

[JJReyes]

As for the meat of the story? I totally agree with it. Though I also think that some countries need to be just a little more stringent on who they allow in the country in the first place rather than laboriously hunting down people afterwards.

 

This is a very interesting comment. During WWII, when most of the men were in military service, the United States opened the border to Mexican laborers to help plant, cultivate and harvest agriculture crops. The laborers had no intention of remaining forever. They wanted the jobs and much higher pays to help support families back home. The majority went home after the end of WWII.

 

There is still a similar program available to American farmers, food processing plants and other agriculture based industries. You can legally bring in laborers from Mexico to work up to a year. The problem is the US Congress made the rules very stringent and the fees are exorbitant. It takes nearly a year to process the paperwork and the fees are in the thousands. Why bother and become uncompetitive compared to the neighboring farms who just hire illegal workers at less than minimum wage. They also don't bother with the niceties such as Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance (FICA & FUTA) and withholding federal and state income taxes. 

 

Millions want to legally emigrate to the United States, including several hundred thousand Filipinos. The quota, preference system, etc. make the process very difficult. You could spend ten years going through the application process only to be denied. For some, "informal" migration is the only option.   

 

Personally, I don't agree that those who are already in the United States illegally should now be given priority in changing their status. They should get behind the line. What they need to do is liberalize and speed up the process for those who had applied earlier.