More Krauthammer on ImmigrationMike Rappaport

He writes:

As the most attractive land for would-be immigrants, America has theequivalent of the first 100 picks in the NBA draft. Yet through lax bordercontrol and sheer inertia, it allows those slots to be filled by (withapologies to Bill Buckley) the first 100 names in the San Salvador phone book. 

The current reform would establish a point system for legalimmigrants in which brains and enterprise count. This is a significant advance.But note: This newpoint system doesn’t go into effect for eight years.  And who knows if adifferent Congress eight years from now will keep the current bargain?

Enforcement, moreover, is not assured:

In this bill, unfortunately,enforcement at the border is all bureaucratic inputs and fancy gadgets:principally, a doubling of the Border Patrol to 28,000, lots of high-techsensors and four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). And 370 miles of fence –half of what Congress had mandated last year.

The amnesty is triggered upon presidential certification that thesebureaucratic benchmarks are met — regardless of what is actually happening atthe border. What vacuous nonsense. The trigger must be something real. Ipropose a single amendment, short and very concrete: “The amnesty shall bedeclared the morning after the president has certified (citing disinterestedstudies) that illegal immigration across the southern border has been reducedby 90 percent.” That single provision would guarantee passage of thiscomprehensive reform because most Americans would be glad to grant a generousamnesty — if they can be assured it would be the last.

Krauthammer is more trusting than I am.  I don’t believe his amendment would be adequate.  (It is probably not subject to judicial review, as written, but I would make it so, although that does raise other problems.)  In addition to the amendment, I would require the completion of a fence across the entire border.