True North

The Bush Administration is at the verge of a very revealing moment on immigration enforcement. First, they tried to cram amnesty down the throats of the American public. In return, the American public declared that not only did they not want amnesty, but that they didn’t trust the federal government to enforce a crosswalk.

As a result, the Bush Administration declared that it would enforce our immigration laws….albeit very grudgingly, and with all sorts of doom and gloom promises. And while they’ve made a few token raids, and attempted not to fall further behind on the border fence, they’ve essentially done very little, with one exception.

They announced that they would send letters to employers who had employees with mismatching social security numbers, warning them of potential penalties. In turn, a San Fran federal judge (younger brother of Supreme Court Justice Breyer no less), has blocked the move. The Bush administration’s response will be a very revealing view of how much of their enforcement posturing was just that, or serious commitment to their constitutional responsibilities.

Given our current immigration laws, mismatching social security numbers are perhaps the best indicator we have of where illegal aliens are. It’s also our best chances to catch them. They arrive, they need a job, but an employer needs a Social Security number to go with their name. Many illegals use fake ones, that despite not matching the name being used, fulfills the requirement.

Sending a letter to the employer notifying them of the mismatch accomplishes multiple goals. If it’s an honest clerical error, we can clear it up. If the employer is honestly unaware of their employees status, they get the chance to remain honest. If they intend to violate employment laws and employ illegals, it lets them know exactly what the penalties are going to be (up to $10,000).

There is no discriminatory practice involved. We’re simply clarifying possibly faulty information being reported to the federal government, itself a potentially serious crime. There is no henious act being committed. Simply enforcing the law, and giving those that may be unknowingly in violation, a chance to make things right BEFORE they get in trouble.

However, Judge Charles Breyer, the little brother of one of the Supreme Courts liberal judges, has blocked the Bush administrations efforts at the most basic of enforcement measures.

Now if the Bush administration is actually serious about it’s responsibilities of enforcing our immigration laws, they will fight this to the bitter end. Appeals will be made and, if necessary, requests for legislation further enabling this method.

If the Bush administration, was just “going through the motions” as many of it’s critics suspect, this will be the end of this enforcement attempt. They’ll simply toss up their hands and say “oh well, we tried” and declare that amnesty is our only choice.

I anxiously await, with bated breath, the administration’s next move, with the sincere hope that I am underestimating their commitment to their jobs.

[For continuous coverage of more about immigration than you really care to read, read my other posts at EckerNet.Com. And you can leave comments/feedback here.]