ANOTHER DAY OF INFAMY?

Many of our political leaders who supported amnesty for illegal aliens and a “path to citizenship” for law breakers were shocked by the enormous, collective, “no” they received from the American people this year. Concerned that they have been on the wrong side of what most Americans regard as the nation’s greatest threat, many have attempted to make amends by suddenly talking tough about securing the border and enforcing our laws.

New legislation in the Congress now gives us the opportunity to address the immigration crisis with tough new tools. It also gives the tough talkers the opportunity to show the voters that they “got the message.”

Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC) has introduced the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act, H.R. 4088. The House bill already has 122 cosponsors, including South Carolina Representatives Gresham Barrett and Bob Inglis. The Senate version, S. 2368, is identical and was introduced by Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), but thus far has only one cosponsor, Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

The legislation, which already has bipartisan support but little apparent support from South Carolina’s delegation, does those things that our Congressional leaders say they support. Specifically, it:

• Increases the number of Border Patrol agents by 8,000 over five years.
  
  
• Employs the newest technology available, including satellite communication and aerial surveillance.
  
  
• Expands and mandates the use of E-verify, a free program administered by the Department of Homeland Security that enables employers to confirm the legal status of their workers and job applicants. The bill will phase in all employers over four years.
  
  
• Allows for information-sharing between the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to close all loopholes and ensure that no illegal aliens are eligible for Social Security, Medicare and other entitlement programs.
  
  
• Expands the detention capacity and resources for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
  
  
• Increases the number of Federal District Court Judges so as to expedite deportation hearings for lawbreakers.
  

We have all heard the tough, new rhetoric about border security and about enforcing immigration laws, but only two members of South Carolina’s Congressional delegation have yet signed on to this legislation that has the bipartisan support of 124 of their colleagues.

The problems and expenses created by our undefended southern border, and the opportunity it offers terrorists, cannot go unaddressed any longer. Sixty-six years ago today on December 7, 1941, our nation suffered the first attack on its own territory. Our President directed that all measures be taken for our defense and assured the republic that “we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.”

It is time that our leaders remember those words and recognize the damage being done to us through a passive attack by tens of millions of scofflaws. The American people are just as willing to address today’s prolonged national attack as they were following that sudden “Day of Infamy” in 1941.