It is like saying that those of us that question our Central American policy are siding with the enemythat you are not patriotic. That is not the case. We want immigration reform. but we want immigration reform that is not discriminatory and that is workable. This provision is consistent with many acts of Congress. If something does not work. you get rid of it. You evaluate it. I do not see why the authors of this bill are so absolutely certain and sure that employer sanctions are the endallbeall. that they are absolutely foolproof. that they are sacred. Employer sanctions will result in sweeping changes not only in our immigration laws but also in our employment system. It is wrong to assume that only immigrants or potential immigrants will be affected by this legislation. In fact. every American is potentially affected because of the requirement for employers to check the I.D. of all new hires. For this reason. and because a wealth of evidence exists against sanctions. it is incumbent upon Congress to move cautiously. if at all. in enacting H.R. 1510. As Senator KENNEDY commented when he offered a "sunset" amendment to SimpsonMazzoli in 1982. " * * the history of immigration legislation in recent decades has been that once a law is enacted. Congress does not act again on immigration for many years." With this lesson in mind. it is essential for a sunset provision to be attached to SimpsonMazzoli this year as a protection against the potential abuses of sanctions. It should be noted that the 3year time period will coincide with the time period given the President to complete his study regarding the need for a secure identification system. It also coincides with the second of three mandated reports by the Civil Rights Commission describing the implementation and enforcement of the employer sanction provisions. including a determination of whether it has had a discriminatory impact.
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immigration immigrants