Mexico Trucker Online

Exactly that; the new Immigration Reform bill has no provisions in it for granting amnesty to the estimated 12 million illegal aliens in the United States at the moment.

Although the opponents who will settle for nothing less than mass deportation are whining that this bill grants amnesty, we need to examine the definition of “amnesty is.

Amnesty (from the Greek amnestia, oblivion) is an act of justice by which the supreme power in a state restores those who may have been guilty of any offence against it to the position of innocent persons. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the offence.

It is my understanding the bill allows for legalization, not citizenship, but legalization, by coming out of the shadows, registering and submitting to a background check. Those with no criminal records would receive a “Z” visa good for life although renewable every 4 or 8 years. The last part is unclear. They could also put themselves on a “path to citizenship” by paying a $5000.00 fine over 8 years ($52 per month) and pay back taxes. The latter I have concerns over.

At no point in the procedures do I see anything approaching “amnesty”! You have a minor crime that has been committed. The perpetrators come forward and admit responsibility, pay a penalty and are from that point on, on probation for the offense. No amnesty there at all. And for those working for little more than minimum wage, even $52 a month is a lot of money to try to save.

I do not agree with the need for a guest worker program as the participants in the “Z” visa program are already in this country working and being productive non citizens. However, if the “Z” will only be for the ones already present, then perhaps there is a need for guest workers.

I forsee the illegal’s, once they are convinced the rules are on the up and up, following the procedure, although at the end of 8 years,  instead of paying the fine, simply going back to Mexico, never to return. This churning has been going on for more than 50 years and if not for 9/11, would still be the order of the day.

What our government does not realize is that most Mexican citizens have no desire for U.S. citizenship. That is one of the flaws in the bill in my opinion.

Border Security

Over Mother’s Day, I took a little jaunt off of I-10 and went south on NM-146 and then east towards Columbus NM and El Paso on NM-9. The roads were a little rough in spots, but a very peaceful and informative drive all in all.

I came face to face with the so called border security. Some were NMNG and other’s, I am assuming, were from the Minutemen Vigilante Project.

These “border guards”, several who were kicked back in the Hummer’s having a Sunday afternoon snooze, were spaced a couple of miles apart west of Columbus. As well as two of the portable observation posts, coming into Columbus, I was surprised to see a tower of round tapered steel, at least 100 feet tall, with microwave transmitters, camera’s facing towards and away from the border with what I assumed is infra red technology.

Why would I mention this? Well, everyone thinks a fence along the border is going to be the salvation of the United States. But build a 50 foot fence and they will breach it with a 52 foot ladder.  Sink it 10 feet into the ground on concrete pilings and they will burrow 12 feet deep to get under it. Not to mention the environmental damage such a project would cause in addition to being in violation of environmental treaties in force right now.

On the other hand,  these silent sentries, connected to a series of motion and pressure sensors along the border would serve the same purpose at a lesser cost. Something to think about people.

Conclusion

The Immigration Reform bill is not the perfect bill. It has numerous flaws that will be addressed in the weeks to come, but it is a good bill, perhaps the best we will see come out of this Congress. And the fact that everyone hates different provisions of it tells me that is is an outstanding bill.