Friday
Nov132009
Napolitano Commits To Immigration Reform
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 12:16PM
By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stepped up her call for immigration reform Friday, saying that while Congress has lagged on the issue, comprehensive reform is more realistic and necessary than ever before.
“Everybody recognizes that our current system isn’t working and that our immigration laws need to change,” Napolitano said in a morning address at the Center for American Progress.
Napolitano said the Obama administration will give a strong push for immigration reform in early 2010, noting that the immigration debate has changed since two years ago when it was last taken up by Congress.
“In 2007, many members of Congress said that they could support immigration reform in the future, but only if we first made significant progress securing the border,” Napolitano said.
Napolitano said DHS has proved their commitment to border law enforcement as the U.S. Border Patrol has grown to 20,000 and erected a 600 mile border fence, adding that the number of illegal immigrants trying to enter into the United States has significantly decreased.
“I’ve been dealing hands-on with immigration issues since 1993, so trust me: I know a major shift when I see one, and what I have seen makes reform far more attainable this time around,” stated Napolitano, who served as Governor of Arizona, a border state, from 2003-2009.
She specified that Immigration reform would not serve as a free path to legalization for the 12 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. Rather, reform would require illegal immigrants to register with DHS and pay fines and back taxes, pass criminal background checks and learn English.
“This is a task that is critical, it’s attainable and that we are fully committed to fulfill,” Napolitano said.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stepped up her call for immigration reform Friday, saying that while Congress has lagged on the issue, comprehensive reform is more realistic and necessary than ever before.
“Everybody recognizes that our current system isn’t working and that our immigration laws need to change,” Napolitano said in a morning address at the Center for American Progress.
Napolitano said the Obama administration will give a strong push for immigration reform in early 2010, noting that the immigration debate has changed since two years ago when it was last taken up by Congress.
“In 2007, many members of Congress said that they could support immigration reform in the future, but only if we first made significant progress securing the border,” Napolitano said.
Napolitano said DHS has proved their commitment to border law enforcement as the U.S. Border Patrol has grown to 20,000 and erected a 600 mile border fence, adding that the number of illegal immigrants trying to enter into the United States has significantly decreased.
“I’ve been dealing hands-on with immigration issues since 1993, so trust me: I know a major shift when I see one, and what I have seen makes reform far more attainable this time around,” stated Napolitano, who served as Governor of Arizona, a border state, from 2003-2009.
She specified that Immigration reform would not serve as a free path to legalization for the 12 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. Rather, reform would require illegal immigrants to register with DHS and pay fines and back taxes, pass criminal background checks and learn English.
“This is a task that is critical, it’s attainable and that we are fully committed to fulfill,” Napolitano said.
Reader Comments (1)
Sometimes it takes a SINGLE SIMPLE solution to resolve MANY DIFFICULT problems. . . For Example: Combining Federal Tax Law, Immigration Law, AND our Nations Soaring Debt.
If we had:
1. A world high Flat Federal Sales Tax on everything set at 30%.
2. A deeply Discounted Federal Tax Discount ID card issued to EVERY LEGAL citizen or visitor (including seasonal migrant help from Mexico) after every citizen’s current tax level was reduced substantially and corporate taxes cut in half. See Chapter 8 of ISBN: 978-1-4327-4178-5 available on Amazon.com for approximately $4.20.
3. A Federal Accounting Standard applied exactly as our Weights and Measures Standard applies equally to every citizen, business, AND lawmaker that based each Asset Value on a FDAS Asset Database. This is defined in Chapter 2 of ISBN: 978-1-4327-4178-5.
We would Discover:
1. Federal tax receipts would increase approximately 300%.
2. Financial Statements would EXPOSE "Fairy Dust" asset values before Wall Street or anyone purchased anything, or gathered “fairy dust” assets into “Hedge” funds for resale.
3. Congress would have NO TAX CODE to abuse. (The original 13 page tax code now contains more than 67,000 pages of mind bogglingly confusing "regulation" drafted by our federal lawmakers for no reason other than glean political contribution while granting corporate favor). Congress currently forfeits TRILLIONS in legitimate fair taxes ANNUALLY; just because that’s the way our lawmakers maintain power to grant special interest favors. They don’t steal (directly); they simply SQUANDER because we allow them too.
4. Every citizen that currently pays taxes would have his or her Federal tax burden reduced substantially - including the wealthy AND every small and medium sized business.
5. Living as an undocumented illegal would be incredibly expensive, but legal visitors would be issued a 5% Federal Sales Tax ID Card for the length of their visit.
6. Anyone avoiding the law (for any reason) would need to pay the 30% Flat Tax on everything or leave the country because using his or her ID card would pinpoint their location.