President Donald Trump created quite a stir earlier this year when he talked about working out a compromise so that illegal farm workers could remain in the country.
After Trump floated the idea, rumors started to fly that the administration was actually suggesting amnesty.
The situation led to a select group of Republicans putting together their own version amnesty legislation, but the White House is now pushing back.
One of the main reasons we push back against illegals working in this country is that, in many cases, they are working under the table for a very low wage.
It is not only against the law for them to be here, but it is also against the law for the employers to hire them. We have visa programs in place to allow migrants to work during the growing and harvest seasons, yet that process is being circumvented to obtain even cheaper farm labor.
Trump suggested giving farmers a pass on this, stating, “We have to take care of our farmers, the hotels and, you know, the various places where they tend to, where they tend to need people.”
He continued, "So a farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people, saying they’re great, they’re working hard. We’re going to slow it down a little bit for them, and then we’re going to ultimately bring them back. They’ll go out. They’re going to come back as legal workers."
The real answer to this problem is to revamp the H-2A visa program, not to allow farms and hospitality industry employers to continue to employ illegal workers.
Instead of proposing that type of solution, Reps. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) decided to exploit Trump’s “kindness” on this front by proposing legislation that would offer amnesty to some of these individuals, something akin to a four-letter word for MAGA and conservatives in general.
In addition to Salazar, there are nearly a dozen other Republicans in the House who are in support of this bill, which is more than enough to get it passed, as long as every Democrat votes in favor of it.
Salazar called this "the most impactful immigration reform in a generation,” but, at least in my opinion, it is not the answer.
After the legislation was proposed, the White House quickly pushed back, suggesting that opportunists in Congress were taking things way too far.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “Congresswoman Salazar introduced legislation that would give some illegal immigrants in the country a path to citizenship. Ten Republicans signed on to what she is calling the ‘Dignity Act.’ I’m curious about the White House’s position on this legislation, and if the president would veto this bill.”
I have addressed this issue repeatedly, and while I think we can find common ground to allow people who have jobs and have not committed crimes other than entering the country illegally to remain, they can never have citizenship, which would amount to a reward for breaking our laws.
My plan is more detailed than this, but in essence, it would offer these illegals an opportunity to remain in the country, earning a reportable income, while paying a small tax, which their employer would have to match. In return, they don’t have to fear deportation, but they know they will never have citizenship, and more importantly, they will never be permitted to vote or tap into our entitlement programs, such as social security, Medicare, or Medicaid. Amnesty is simply unacceptable, so I was very glad to see the White House shoot this down immediately.
