Outside view: By the book
The following editorial appeared Friday in the Dallas Morning News.
From abroad, a foreigner watching Washington’s immigration debate last week could easily conclude that only fools choose the legal migration route.
Inside the Capitol, Congress renewed debate over the Dream Act, a measure with bipartisan support that promotes higher education, in-state tuition and potential citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.
Outside the Capitol, a group of highly skilled legal immigrants gathered quietly, waving American flags, to express the sense of unfairness they feel about the hassles of working and studying here legally.
Thousands of foreign students and skilled workers – exactly the people we need to fill crucial job vacancies – are waiting in line, filling out forms and typically spending years going through the painstaking process of qualifying for the right to work or study here. But they face lengthy delays because of a huge backlog of applications awaiting government security and certification checks.
The same is true of highly skilled workers already here on temporary visas but whose permanent status remains in limbo. These are immigrant doctors, nurses, engineers and other foreigners whose services we need.
Since 1990, there’s been an annual cap of 140,000 employment-based green cards and 65,000 temporary work visas.
The cap is far short of filling our employment gap, but measures to boost the limits stalled during congressional debate this summer over comprehensive immigration reform.
Gov. Rick Perry is one of 13 governors who say this situation needs fixing. We agree.
As it stands, Congress is sending a conflicting message abroad: Take the legal route of immigration, and you are virtually assured of hassles and frustrating delays. Do it illegally, and an education might await your children.
The Dallas Morning News favors addressing the aspects of illegal immigration, including Dream Act provisions, through comprehensive reform. But in the meantime, let’s not neglect those who are standing in line, waiting patiently and following the rules.
Congress needs to show the world that we reward those who immigrate legally. At a minimum, we need to stop penalizing those whose only fault is obeying the law.