BORDER "SECURITY"

Progress?:

On Wednesday's hearing in the House of Representatives, it was expected that Homeland Security would produce an estimated progress report for both the Republicans and Democrats. Instead, Mark Borkowski, a senior official stated the department did not have any progress information to provide Senators for their quest in creating comprehensive immigration reform. The Department of Homeland Security was asked to begin documenting progress back in 2010, as it was explained to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that the government was in need of a reliable measure of the effects of Obama's immigration reforms in order to continue. The previously used "operational control" measure was dropped by Napolitano under the belief that it failed to accurately consider the number of agents and new technologies, a new system has yet to be put in place.

Border Condition Index:

In response to the demands being made in the House of Representatives, Mark Borkowski, along with other officials have now proposed a new measurement of border security titled the Border Condition Index. This program in theory, will produce a very broad and easily understandable assessment of the border. The index will take into consideration things like crime rates in cities along the border, and the legitimate flow of people and goods across the border. Although the Border Condition Index seems like a nice idea, the Department of Homeland Security has still failed to produce any figures, or specific pieces of the measurement, stating it is still "undergoing internal reviews" and cannot provide a date for the finished product.

Opinion: 

Reading that the Department of Homeland Security has not and does not seem close to providing an accurate measure of "security" makes one question the concept itself. How exactly do we measure security? Is it by apprehension of those crossing without documentation? Is it how many crossings there are? How many crimes are committed in cities with major immigrant populations? Or how "secure" each person living in the United States feels? The concept of security is a very fluid concept that I am not sure can be accurately measured and if it in fact cannot, what is the government spending so much of our money on?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/us/officials-still-seek-ways-to-assess-border-security.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&

BRINGING FAMILIES BACK TOGETHER?

Form I-601A:

This form, better known as the "Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver" will be available to immigrants starting March 4th of this year. The specific use of the form will be to bring families back together. The applicant must be an immediate relative of someone residing in the United States, either a spouse, a parent, or child under the age of 21. The I-601A form is used as a waiver for the three and ten year blocks of time the government currently allows immigrants to reside in the country without legal status. The immigration form seems pretty extensive and answering yes to committing a crime, or crossing the border without inspection will more than likely result in the immigrant being permanently banned from the United States. Immigrants are also required to have an approved green card application to apply for the I-601A, but the application does not require that the immigrant is out of the United States, and therefore he or she can apply before their time is up in the country.

Opinion:

Although this does seem to be a good place to start in reuniting families, I do not know if I think it is a real solution to the problem. It seems as though the entire process is costing a lot of money beginning with the deportation of family members, causing the separation in the first place, and then processing these people to be reunited. Focusing on the initial separation may be time better spent for the United States government, creating a step in the process to check into an immigrant's family status before separating them. Examining the problem from the beginning may prove more productive and useful when it comes to keeping families together in the United States.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/filling-out-form-i-601a.html

http://www.immigrationdirect.com/immigration-news/green-card/uscis-beginsaccepting-new-provisional-waiver/index.html

VERIFI ACT

 

What is it?:

Todd Akin, who is a Republican representative Montana. According to Akin, the United State's budget is being drained due to Federal benefit programs. Akin is worried that there will not be enough resources for future generations. The VERIFI Act proposes to use the federal government to check the status of every individual prior to handing out any government checks. Federal Agencies can use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements which already allows federal agencies to check the status of beneficiaries.

Immigrants Real use of Benefits:

A recent study conducted by the Cato Institute provides a better understanding of just how many resources undocumented immigrants use compared to native citizens. The study was based on Medicaid SNAP, cash assistance programs, and the Supplemental Security Income Program. Due to many immigrants being ineligible for benefits because of their illegal status, the average value of received benefits is actually lower than a U.S. citizens'. Non-Hispanic whites who made up 64% of the population in 2010 received 64% of the entitlement benefits.

• In Regards to Medicaid
• 100 native-born adults used $98,400
• 100 immigrants used $57,200

Conclusion:

Although immigrants do use some of the government funded money, the actual amount is much less than some are making it out to be. A government program like the VERIFI Act being proposed by Todd Akin will use more resources and money to operate. It does not seem fair to blame strains on the budget on immigrants alone, instead people need to look at everyone receiving entitlements from the government.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/06/22/Prevent-illegal-immigrants-from-receiving-federal-benefits

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/poor-immigrants-government-benefits-cato_n_2807490.html