Rise, Peak, and Decline; Trends In US Immigration 1992-2004.

The Pew Hispanic Center reported Tuesday that the number of illegal immigrants entering the country is increasing despite tighter border security. “The Pew Center report highlights in concrete terms what has become glaringly apparent — the U.S. immigration system is fundamentally broken,” said Deborah Notkin, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

AILA believes the only way to effectively control our borders and enhance our security, is to reform our immigration laws in a comprehensive way — so that legality is the norm, so that employers can legally employ the workers they need, so that families are not forced to remain separated for years on end, and so that immigrants who work hard and pay taxes can earn their way to lawful permanent status.

Notkin believes, the report’s timing could be helpful, as American lawmakers are considering several immigration reform bills. Notkin stated, “Reform is necessary and will make our nation more secure. We need a fair and orderly system that reflects our nation’s values and restores the rule of law. We need to know who is here and who is coming into our country. The way to control our borders and to increase our security is to reform our immigration laws in a way that provides a legal way for deserving immigrants to enter the country and makes legality the norm.”

History shows that enforcement-only policies do not work and the Pew Report provides further hard evidence. Over the past 20 years, the federal government has committed a massive increase in enforcement resources to border enforcement, from just over $600 million to nearly $8 billion. And yet, that buildup has failed to staunch the flow of undocumented migrants willing to risk all in search of opportunity or family unity. In fact, the probability of apprehension along the U.S.-Mexico border fell from 33 percent during the early 1980s to an all-time low of 5 percent in 2002.

AILA supports the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005, a bipartisan bill in Congress co-sponsored by Senators John McCain, R-AZ, and Edward Kennedy, D-MA. The bill attempts to link immigration policy and the economy by granting more visas to immigrant workers, provided employers first showed there were not enough American workers to do the job. The McCain-Kennedy bill also provides strong border security provisions to protect against terrorists and criminals, control alien smuggling and trafficking, prevent the use and manufacture of fraudulent travel documents, and share
relevant law enforcement information. The bill requires a mandatory employment verification system using biometric, tamper-resistant, machine-readable identification cards to make sure that employers can only hire legal workers.

Founded in 1946, AILA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides its Members with continuing legal education, information, professional services and expertise through its 35 chapters and over 75 national committees. AILA also advocates before Congress and the Administration, as well as providing liaison with the INS and other government agencies in support of pro-immigration initiatives. AILA is an Affiliated Organization of the American Bar Association and is represented in the ABA House of Delegates.