On November 6, 1986 Congress enacted The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), similar in tone to Senate Bill 744 currently in debate in the U.S. Senate. The IRCA was supposed to finally solve the illegal immigration problem in the United States once and for all, while humanely dealing the illegal aliens already in the nation.

Increased border security later was promised if amnesty was granted first to the illegal aliens already living and working in the U.S. About 3 million illegal aliens were granted amnesty and legal status under the provisions of the IRCA. Those provisions were supposed to end what then was a crisis by, requiring employers to attest to their employees’ immigration status, making it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit illegal aliens, legalizing certain seasonal agricultural illegal aliens, and finally legalizing illegal aliens who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously with the penalty of a fine, back taxes due, and admission of guilt.

Yet, here we stand today with more than 11 million illegal aliens in the country and more attempting and succeeding to cross the border every day. The Nation’s southern border is still not secure despite the promises of IRCA. Now the Senate considers a new comprehensive immigration reform bill with the same old tired promises of a secure border in trade for the legalization of a suspected 11 million illegal aliens as long as they pay fines, pay back taxes and learn english. Although the terminology has changed with terms like provisional immigrant status and blue cards for temporary agricultural workers, the concept remains the same – amnesty and reward for those illegal aliens that broke the law of the land when they entered not to mention their employers that broke existing federal law.

“The gang of Eight” and their Senate cohorts expect the American people to once again swallow the political pill of amnesty along with the the honey of comprehensive immigration reform. S-744 will do nothing to stem the tide of illegal alien immigration unless it is amended to provide for real, effective and strict border security first, severe penalties on the employers of  future illegal aliens up to and including seizure of their business and assets and provisions for the immediate expulsion of illegal aliens found in the nation in the future. So far S-744 is nothing but a rehash of the same failed policies of IRCA of 1986. The American people can expect more of the same failures and tossing of the political football if this legislation is passed as written.

The people must convince Congress that without verifiable guarantees of border security first there is no comprehensive immigration reform, but merely a continuation of the failed policies of the past. If we Americans are fooled again then shame on us.

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