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The sounds good but does nothing rhetoric of our times

By Patrick Osio, Jr./HispanicVista.com

   June 20, 2006

 

  

                   

     Capitalizing on legitimate concerns about illegal immigration, citizens have been presented with a wide assortment of frustration relieving “sound good” schemes that solve nothing. The assortment is wide and varied and comes from government officials, organizations or private citizens with a “great idea.” So it may serve us to take a closer look at some of them.

 

The latest was the ICE announcement on June 14^th, "We're also sending a clear message that we will no longer allow the interior of the United States to be a safe haven for illegal aliens,” Julie L. Myers, assistant secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was quoted after she announced the ‘successful’ nineteen day “Operation Return to Sender” carried out in many major cities that nabbed 2,179 illegal immigrants.

 

Obviously any effort is better than no effort, but as to “sending a clear message” – well let’s take a look with the help of a little simple math. The operation began in various states using 35 teams on May 26 ending on June 13^th – 19 days total arrested was 2,179; an average of 115 a day. We are told there are 12 million illegal immigrants; nabbing 115 a day on a 7/24 schedule means authorities would be deporting the last of them in 2291 (285 years).

 

But our government has thought of a way of to shorten the process. The 115 a day average was established with 35 teams, which math tells us each team averaged 3.29 arrests per day. To increase future arrests there will be an additional 18 teams in place, provided President Bush’s administration budget is approved. This will bring the daily average to 174, cutting down the time for the last load to a mere 189 years.

 

There are those who will say, the above is not fair since authorities weren’t after illegal immigrants rather after those who were already subject to court order deportation or failed to show for court hearings who are classified as fugitives. If other illegal immigrants were at the addresses officers visited, they were nabbed. OK, there are 590,000 such fugitives, which means at 115 per day, the 35 teams would arrest the last ones in a mere 14 years or 9 years and 3 months with the additional 18 teams.

 

So the “clear message” sent sounds good to frustrated citizens, but in effect it was more a warning to the fugitives that they should move from their last known address.

 

Part of the immigration reform bill calls for illegal immigrants to come forward and pay a fine for their illegal entry and then obtain a temporary permit to remain in the country as longs as they have a job and meet other requirements. A number of congress representatives claim this is amnesty and that would reward criminal behavior – their words sound good and just.

 

I suppose this now means that anyone getting a speeding citation on going to court the judge instead of finding them guilty and setting the fine will instead grant them amnesty in return for a fine – but wait, under this new meaning, if it’s amnesty can the speedster file to get the fine reimbursed?

 

Most have also heard Rep. Tom Tancredo say that all illegal immigrants should leave the country and apply for returning from there. In a perfect world, this would make sense and it sounds good. But, in addition to this not being a perfect world, Tancredo has no credibility among illegal immigrants or even legal immigrants. This is the man who  repeatedly says about illegal immigrants “they are coming to kill you and me,” who has a tough time turning down speaking invitations by known extreme groups, many classified as “hate groups” by a number of such watchdog organizations. They simply don’t trust him and his like minded members of Congress to live up to that statement. So they don’t leave – now what? Send the 35 plus 18 new teams after them?

 

There are several dozen other such sound good but do nothing examples. Some are down right comical while others are going to be very costly and divert attention not only from a solution to the illegal immigration problem, but to national security from the nation’s real deadly terrorist enemies.

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Patrick Osio, Jr is Editor of HispanicVista (www.hispanicvista.com). Contact at: Posiojr@hispanicvista.com

(The opinions expressed by Patrick Osio, Jr. are solely his and do not necessarily reflect those of HispanicVista.com, editorial board of advisors or it’s contributing writers.)

Patrick Osio, Jr. has written a short but intensive manual on the Mexican perspective on numerous issues between our two countries. The manual is an in depth primer on the culture and protocol for better understanding Mexicans that in turn allows establishing personal and business relationships, and how to avoid the most common faux pas that can ruin relationships and business deals.

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