Harrop: Biden’s border plans must offer discipline, humanity

To secure support for his reforms Biden should back E-Verify to limit further undocumented workers.

By Froma Harrop / syndicated columnist

On his first day as president, Joe Biden unfurled big ideas for fixing the immigration program.

Any smart plan will loosen howls by extreme opinions, be they for shutting the borders tight or opening them wide, so he might as well do the right thing. Rebuilding the system to be more humane would be welcome. But protecting American labor from unfair competition is also essential. That means controlling who enters and how many enter the country.

And so, what does Biden have in mind? Start with his two no-brainers. One is rapidly legalizing the status of the “Dreamers,” immigrants brought to this country illegally as children. The other is raising prosecutions for drug traffickers and human smugglers.

His plan to put the estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally on a path to citizenship makes sense; but only if paired with a requirement that employers use a database, such as E-Verify, to certify that all new hires have a right to work in the United States. This enforcement piece was part of the unsuccessful 2013 immigration reform bill that most Democrats supported.

Biden’s initial plans don’t mention this means to reassure Americans that the laws will be respected going forward. The vast majority of immigrants who enter illegally come here for a job. A wall 10 miles high won’t stop them, but being unable to secure a job could.

E-Verify is already mandatory for the federal government and federal contractors. And a handful of states require that all or most employers use it. The program is otherwise voluntary, although over 750,000 employers have joined up.

Former President Donald Trump’s talk on immigration was nasty but mainly talk. He’d say vile things about foreigners of color but then refuse to take the one step that could have come close to stopping illegal immigration. He would not support E-Verify.

Asked about that on Fox News, Trump said, “E-Verify is so tough that in some cases, like farmers, they’re not, they’re not equipped for E-Verify.” Like farmers don’t have laptops.

The dirty secret was that Trump and other Republicans were happy to harass undocumented immigrants, but they would not prevent businesses from exploiting their labor. Like the Republicans who sunk the 2013 reform bill, they would give sermons on the evils of rewarding lawbreakers while keeping the easily breakable laws in place.

Some opponents of curbing illegal immigration — be they on the cheap-labor right or the diversity left — complain that the E-Verify system has suffered from technical glitches. It’s been much strengthened in recent years, and any future problems can be addressed.

Biden faces a prospect he shouldn’t want: a surge of Central Americans rushing the border in the expectation he’ll make it easier for them. Setting the cutoff date for legalization at this past Jan. 1 would, some presume, discourage new caravans. The reality, however, is that the masses come for jobs, not the right to vote for county commissioner.

Biden’s choice of Alejandro Mayorkas to run the Department of Homeland Security is cause for optimism. An immigrant from Cuba, Mayorkas is an ex-prosecutor whom former heads of DHS, Republicans and Democrats alike, praise as uniquely qualified to combine a humane approach with serious enforcement.

Biden must apply muscle as well as heart at the border or his best plans will fall apart. It might seem cruel to stop desperate migrants — most of them fine people — from entering the U.S. without papers. But either you establish law and order at the border or your immigration program loses public support and callous populists like Trump take over.

Canada and Australia run large immigration programs that combine strict enforcement with generosity. We can, too.

Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Saturday, July 5

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

A Volunteers of America Western Washington crisis counselor talks with somebody on the phone Thursday, July 28, 2022, in at the VOA Behavioral Health Crisis Call Center in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: Dire results will follow end of LGBTQ+ crisis line

The Trump administration will end funding for a 988 line that serves youths in the LGBTQ+ community.

Comment: Keep county’s public lands in the public’s hands

Now pulled from consideration, the potential sale threatened the county’s resources and environment.

Comment: Companies can’t decide when they’ll be good neighbors

Consumers and officials should hold companies accountable for fair policies and fair prices.

Comment: State’s new tax on digital sales ads unfair and unwise

Washington’s focus on chasing new tax revenue could drive innovation and the jobs to other states.

Forum: Protecting, ensuring our freedoms in uncertain times

Independence means neither blind celebration nor helpless despair; it requires facing the work of democracy.

Forum: World peace starts with not firing missiles at each other

If a kindergartner can grasp the inhumanity of violence against innocents, shouldn’t it be clear to us.

toon
Editorial: Using discourse to get to common ground

A Building Bridges panel discussion heard from lawmakers and students on disagreeing agreeably.

The Buzz: Flush with BBB tax breaks? Hit the Trump Store.

The rest of you can grab a spot under the bus the GOP has thrown you and enjoy the ride.

Schwab: Taking pride in our own independence from tyranny

Many of us are Americans by luck of birth here; real pride requires commitment to democratic values.

Comment:A chance to make nation more united for its 250th

Let’s refresh the meaning of the Declaration for all and rededicate ourselves to pursuing it.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.