Immigration and security
The reform, contrary to what its critics say, is a step that helps security
The discovery that the alleged perpetrators of the Boston bombings are foreign-born is a new weapon being used to stop immigration reform in its tracks.
The critics of an immigration overhaul, both inside and outside Congress, refuse to recognize the obvious. Registering millions of people who are living in the U.S. off the radar of the authorities will greatly benefit public safety.
The same happens, for example, when driver’s licenses are issued to undocumented immigrants in California. Thanks to this document, information about thousands of people will be recorded along with their addressespeople who otherwise would be unknown to the state authorities. This knowledge in fact already increases public safety.
In reality, the intention of senators and representatives who are tying the Boston bombings to immigration reform is to derail the overhauljust like it happened with a similar bill in 2001 because of the 9/11 attacks.
However, between then and now, circumstances have changed much, both when it comes to terrorist attacks and the existing climate for immigration reform. In 2001, the political consensus that is present today throughout society did not exist, especially regarding legalizing the undocumented. Because of this, criticism of the overhaul has met with emphatic responses from Republican and Democratic senators in defense of this reform.
This time, we cannot allow critics of the reform to wrap themselves in the false flag of national security to block the overhaul. The change in immigration laws goes far beyond the legalization of peopleand the borderand will have a great positive impact on the economy and national output. It is also a big step toward domestic security.
