The Pro-Immigrant Republican Candidate

I, Jon Larson, am now a Republican candidate for Congress - with a purpose. Too many Republican politicians have publicized impractical anti - "illegal" immigrant proposals. In contrast, I want to express a few common-sense reasons why our government should offer amnesty (non-quota, non-"touchback" paths to citizenship, with immediate issuance of easily renewable federal identification cards). As a true conservative, an anti-bureaucrat, valuing financial welfare for other Americans, I must state the obvious: There is no realistic way to detain and deport more than seven million undocumented Hispanic workers and their dependants.

Our immigration laws are like a discouraging maze, fostered by years of racial ("Chinese exclusion") and anti-Southern and Eastern European, anti-Irishmen and lately anti-Hispanic prejudices. America is the "Land of Immigrants", but we have allowed the tired, hungry and poor of the world to become disappointed by our bureaucratic roadblocks. Historically, Liberty (Ellis) Island did not send immigrants back to their birth countries to wait 5-14 years, to be solicited to pay bribes, just so they could legally re-enter our "Home of the Free." We should never be afraid to welcome fresh blood into our National melting pot.

Please understand that negative publicity unreasonably frightens immigrants and irritates our American-born Hispanic citizens, discouraging border cooperation. Many hard working and admirably productive undocumented immigrants have been financially victimized, some raped (and more than 450 have died, some horrifically) along our Southern border. These same individuals, still fearing deportation, cannot obtain basic identification documents, to their disadvantage and our ultimate loss ( of insurance and safety protections).

Jail space and courtroom accessability, already strained, if not overwhelmed, in most cities, counties and sates cannot possibly accept the volume of business detention and deportation of millions would entail. Local police already refuse to accept responsibility for monitoring the many illegal immigrants in their jurisdictions. Big tax money, not currently available, would be required if the decision were made to initiate mass deportation policies (to hire and train thousands of additional agents and officers).

Already horror stories of unfair and sometimes illegal detention are being told:

Mothers detained and deported - separated from their children. Bread wining fathers and stepfathers deported, leaving destitute their "Anglo" and American-born families. An older man living in our country for more than 50 years, being deported and separated from his son serving our Army in Iraq (more than 7200 of these immigrants have already served in the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan). Identity thefts and mistakes involving incarcerations of the wrong persons have occurred. Unaccompanied children of mixed Latin ancestry could be deported to unfamiliar countries with no family supports. There would be no end to terrors if anti-immigrant laws were ratcheted up.

Most importantly, I suggest that our country has no flexibility to deal with the loss of millions of workers. Already we hear of the possibility a nationwide depression. With the real estate, mortgage and home building industries teetering on collapse, the outsourcing of technological jobs overseas, gasoline price increases, and serious deficit financing owed to the rest of the world, our economy is much too fragile to weather a self-inflicted removal of productive workers and good consumers. Somehow too many of our leaders refuse to recognize the reality of our economic plight. For our own mental and financial health, we must "get over" this anti-Hispanic immigrant obsession. Let us accept things we can not change without drastically harming ourselves.

Please let us follow the Golden Rule, to welcome and learn to love our new neighbors without governmental interference."

Along the path to assimilation, I believe we will improve border control. So far, 9-11 style terrorists have not been Hispanic. Friendly communication between Homeland Security officers and lawfully protected immigrants (and their Mexican contacts) could prevent true terrorist access along our Southern border. Mile high fences, if built during current adversary circumstances, would only increase "coyote" transportation charges and increase the vulnerability of determined American seekers to kidnaping, rape and death.

It is my opinion that local anti-immigrant legislation (creating what courts have described as a "crazy quilt" of state and local laws) can only exacerbate regional problems by concentrating Hispanic homes along sanctuary borders [We are bigger than our borders] and by encouraging deceptive employment practices. Rather than tinkering with laws to aggravate the plight of these persons, I suggest we focus on our own national economic welfare.

Of course, there will be problems in accommodating large numbers of anything, including immigrants. There will be some who commit crimes, some who rip off welfare benefits and some who burden our medical delivery systems. Yes, but, as a very experienced criminal defense lawyer, I believe that these Hispanic undocumented workers are perhaps more likely today to become victims of violence than to be perpetrators. Further, I read that undocumented aliens rarely use any form of public assistance, and that even when health costs are factored, economists have calculated their favorable impact on the economy as a whole. And, if these people were really interested in freeloading medical and welfare benefits, they might be flooding into Canada, but I suspect such is not the case.

Let us offer Federal registration identification cards ("ID’s") to any undocumented American worker at zero charge. Let us encourage (even seasonal) employers to offer certificates of employment to support these identification documents. Like green cards, these ID’s should have digital photographs with names, fingerprints, current addresses and dates of birth. Renewals and replacements should be easily available, withdrawal of registration (legal immigration status) should be limited to "serious" criminal behavior, quarantineable diseases, excessively lengthy lack of employment and fraudulent applications.

Let us offer eventual citizenship, under no quotas by nationalities or by no literacy qualifications, nor employment categories, nor total number limits [ There should be no objection to putting these applicants behind current immigration registrants.]

Let us encourage, but not require, the use of English language by these immigrants. History tells us few of these working immigrants will go back to their countries of origin, and that their descendants will learn English, just like those of us who have had non-English speaking forbearers have done.

Turn these people into 100% tax payers people who can use their ID’s to bank, cash checks, shop and purchase medical and automobile insurance.

Vote for me, Jon Larson, for Congress. Remember, a vote for Jon Larson is a vote for Kentucky

Comments

[Bruce Layne]

Immigration seems to be one of your big issues, so I know you've heard this before, but here goes....

The issue is ILLEGAL immigration. ILLEGAL, as in NOT LEGAL.

You and John McCain favor amnesty for illegal immigrants who skirted the legal immigration process and broke our laws sneaking into our country? I just can't understand that.

We have the the expensive and invasive Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration using our tax dollars to fund the systematic eradication of our liberties in the false name of security, and yet you aren't in favor of secure borders? Our government treats US citizens as terrorists with a presumption of guilt, and yet non-citizens are welcomed into our country illegally and given jobs, welfare, social security benefits, free education for their children, and free health care? It's just a nutty position. I have no idea how anyone could justify our government harassing American citizens while welcoming illegal immigrants, and to call that a conservative position? It's absurd.

A country without borders is not a sovereign country.

Congratulations on the primary win, and good luck against Ben Chandler. I doubt there will be many Republicans elected in 2008.

[Brenda Singletary]

Hi Jon,

Congrats on the primary. However, I would like you to know, that due to non-payers, we have no hospital. Most of those non-payers are ILLEGALS. I pay taxes, so that others may use and abuse my hard earned money. Our republican leaders need to start considering the fact that FREEBEYS AREN'T FREEBEYS TO THOSE WHOM ARE MIDDLE TO LOWER CLASS. Our Great Grandparents came over to USA the hard way, gave up their Swedish heritage from what I can see and earned every penny. Learned ENGLISH first and foremost and didn't pass down our heritage. THIS IS WHAT AMERICA WAS BUILT ON. The freedom to integrate with USA, not FREEBEYS. Come into USA the legal way and there won't be a problem. ILLEGAL MEANS ILLEGAL. If you break the law there are consequences. Basically you are saying it is okay to break the law.
Also, I have been a victim already of one stealing my identity and using it for health care, my utilities, etc. Wake up and smell the coffee here. Crime statistics tell all, take a look at the gangs in Fresno for instance. ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL. NO MORE FREEBEYS. The more we give the more people take, IT IS TIME TO TIGHTEN THE BELT!!!!!!!!!

[seattle criminal attorney]

Interesting read. I will have to bookmark it for later.