Upon consideration of President Bush's incredible track record in international relations, one might find it difficult to conceive that his new stance toward foreigners is muddled. In fact, Bushie's new policies regarding foreigners may be seen as even more shocking in view of his internationally-renowned intelligence. However, the sad truth of the matter is that the consequences of the Bush administration's two new policies, which deal with international visitors and illegal immigrants, are completely inconsistent and contradictory.
Last week, Bush announced new security measures on travel to the United States. According to these new procedures, visitors from most countries face mandatory biometric fingerprinting and photographing before boarding flights to the United States. In addition, dozens of flights have been cancelled in recent weeks and others are now required to carry armed guards. These new measures appear on the surface to be positive steps toward preventing future massacres reminiscent of Sept. 11, 2001. But, in light of Bush's other recent security proposal, they make little sense.
The day after Bush announced these tightened security procedures, he unveiled a proposal to loosen our country's immigration laws. The proposal basically grants amnesty to illegal immigrants in this country, as long as they are employed. It looks to increase the number of green cards issued each year, to allow illegal immigrants to apply immediately for a green card and to give them all of the employee benefits guaranteed to legal workers. This proposal would clearly serve as an incentive for foreigners to illegally enter this country in droves, since they would most probably be granted amnesty as long as they can obtain any form of low-level employment. With these eased restrictions, the resulting increase in immigrants to this country poses a potentially serious national security problem. Once our government begins to allow more people to live legally in this country, the likelihood that terrorists are among those bestowed with green cards will increase.
With these two proposals, Bushie sends a horribly mixed message towards foreigners: They can more easily become permanent residents in this nation as well as gain new employee benefits, while at the same time undergoing more stringent measures merely to visit our nation on airplanes. How can we tell foreigners that the United States has stricter standards on who can and cannot enter this country on an airplane, but that we will allow more people to legally obtain residency here? According to these new proposals, a foreigner can enter this country on a raft from a foreign nation and get a job at his or her uncle's store in the United States. He or she can then can immediately apply for a green card and employee benefits funded by taxpayers, all while mere vacationers from foreign nations are subject to fingerprinting and photographing procedures?
Bushie rightly increases security for visitors in this country, although his proposal is timed as a crafty tactic to make him appear to be tough on terrorism in an election year. Meanwhile, security lapses run rampant in U.S. airports. Then, in apparent contrast, he allows more immigrants to take up residency in our country. He does this in order to pander to minorities -- namely Hispanics, a powerful voting block that has the power to decide Bush's electoral fate in certain states -- in an obvious attempt to appear sympathetic toward their plight. These programs have divergent purposes, yet they serve the same ends of appeasement of powerful voting groups in an election year.
Our government is incredibly nave to believe that to increase security measures for visitors into this country is a more important safety measure than to better screen illegal immigrants for permanent residency. Terrorist groups, such as Al Qaida, have shown that their members are quite willing to painstakingly plan their actions over years and clearly would not hesitate to apply for citizenship here in order to more effectively garner knowledge of the inner- workings of the United States through infiltration. With Bush's contrasting actions, Al Qaida members will now have a more difficult time boarding planes into this country, yet they will more easily become permanent residents of it.
In an atmosphere in which Americans rightly fear for their safety from terrorism, the Bush team needs a consistent agenda and stance towards foreigners. If it places tighter security measures on visitors at airports, the administration clearly should increase security checks and scrutiny of foreigners who wish to take up residency here as well. In order to effectively diminish the threat of terrorism on American soil, the government should be just as worried about infiltration from those who apply for permanent residency as those who are here to visit.
