Article Contributed on: 11/10/2008 9:12:39 AM
The Road Home, 11-10-08
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) head Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security in the Bush Administration, and a former chief of staff to Michael Chertoff, announced she is resigning as of November 15th. Though chief of ICE since last December, Myers essentially managed a three year program during which approximately one-quarter of a million illegal entrants, primarily entering across the U.S. southern land border, were systematically and humanely returned to their land of origin by bus and plane.
Reports are that a fairly large percentage did not return, and the workplace was not the lesser for it. Reports are that the process was highly humane, and the illegal entrants were flown in more than the usual comfortable passenger seating, with adequate food, to a major city near their established home location. Cost efficient, the ride home was made when a plane going in that direction could be pretty much filled. Medical needs were attended to as well.
My argument for years has been to do just that. Those who enter the country illegally just because they want to work here in such a way as to undermine the pay scale and ultimately the employment of our own citizens, are deportable. However, the only way to gain the attention of a centuries-long callous practice was to gain attention of those who do this, and their sponsors, by bringing them to the table. They did not want to come to the table, and left the debate to American citizens interested in their own government policies. Raids got their attention. The trip home brought many to the table.
Some argued "You can't deport one million persons." Not in one day! But a systematic drawing to the table of illegal entrants produced a return of almost one-quarter million to their country of origin in three years. A low percentage of them have attempted return. This plan was working! It worked quietly and consistently well. Just what we were looking for. It received modest fanfare. Myers' success deserves scrutiny by those who want Barack Obama's administration to improve domestic security and economy. This may be one of those plans he can keep. Yes, sponsors and mentors for the practice of illegal entry, make the questionable argument that entrants fill a work void, and without public discourse on the counter-argument that many illegals who seek employment here systematically beg down higher paying jobs carving them into lower sub-components pushing American citizens out of well-paying job profiles they developed for themselves. They beg a case to continue to tolerate illegal entrants entering the country, excusing them from deportation, as they draw down jobs of U.S. citizens. A new administration might do well to consider long pleaded for success at its point of contact.
Homeland Security has found its wings in a number of areas domestically. The public does not have clear information on its efforts to stop international terror intrigue from bringing further death and destruction directly to the U.S. since its inception, but as to this ICE policy, it may be the policy we needed enacted all along, until a new policy stating what "helping the economy" in this regard can mean for U.S. citizens. The Obama administration might be asked on point why it wouldn't continue this ICE policy. It may not be necessary to totally rewrite our immigration law to benefit foreign nationals after all. This fits policy sea-change asked for in last week's election, and it is already in place. The baby cannot be thrown out with the bath water. This ICE policy reiterates part of the age-old best definition of immigration policy - deport illegal entrants in a humane way!
On the new administration appointment front, President-elect Obama has indicated he desires to appoint well qualified leaders to positions of trust to effect a corrected course for the U.S. and reclaim our citizens' self-identified independence, and credibility for our principles and values. Perhaps people can help by taking note state-by-state of their own best and brightest who might be recommended for appointment in Washington, D.C. to serve in the Obama ship of state. My short list for consideration includes the candidate most preferred by Democratic Party workers in the 2004 U.S. senate race, Mike Miles, who seems to be a natural for national government service in any of various disciplines, and former Colorado Senator Gary Hart, who is a thinker who has forewarned America of a number of serious problems, including the attack of 9/11, which type attack he saw clearly was in the offing in some guise due to wrong American international policies.
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