Democrats outline anti-immigrant proposal

[Hannah Bell]

On Thursday, top Senate Democrats...released a plan for an overhaul of immigration that focuses on the further militarization of the border and vast increases in state control of the population. Obama immediately endorsed the proposal, calling it an “important step,” counterpoising it to the Arizona law, which he said was “misguided...”

Reid made clear that he was prepared to offer further concessions to the Republican Party: “We’re offering this framework as an invitation, an invitation to our Republican colleagues to work with us to solve this problem that has plagued our country for too long.”

The new proposal declares that all steps toward a “legalization program” for undocumented immigrants would be delayed until eight benchmarks were met, including increasing Border Patrol officers, increasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, adding funding for immigration courts to speed up deportation proceedings, and augmenting technology and resources along the border.

The proposal calls for “further fortifications of our border enforcement capacities,” including “the installation of high-tech ground sensors throughout the southern border,” the “use of Department of Defense equipment at the border” and “increases in the number of sport utility vehicles, helicopters, power boats, river bats, portable computers to track illegal immigrants and drug smugglers while inside of a border patrol vehicle, vision equipment, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Remote Video Surveillance Systems, scope trucks, and Mobile Surveillance Systems.”

These measures would involve the transformation of US borders—and, by extension, much of the US itself—into military zones, policed by the same aerial drones... employed in Afghanistan and Pakistan...The proposal would also give the Secretary of Homeland Security authority to deploy National Guard personnel (that is, military forces) along the border at will...The measure contains a laundry list of punitive and police-state measures targeting immigrants, and, ultimately, the entire population. “All foreign nationals will be required to provide the United States government with biometric information, and will be refused admission or deported for non-compliance,” it notes.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/may2010/immi-m01.shtml

[The Northerner]

1. K+R

[Hannah Bell]

12. one k deserves another

[bluestateguy]

2. Oh brother

You know, a lot of the socialist countries that you so greatly admire have harsher immigration policies than we do.

[Hannah Bell]

3. aside from the straw, do you support these measures?

[bluestateguy]

6. I can't say because I refuse to take seriously infomation from the "World Socialist" wesbite

Much like I would not do so from Fox News or Newsmax.

[IndianaGreen]

8. but you believe idiots like Robert Gibbs

who can speak from both sides of his mouth and can't tell the difference between his belly button and his anus.

[tekisui]

9. What about the Washington Post?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8251567

[bluestateguy]

10. No, not really

Too Establishmentarian/Georgetown Cocktail Party for my taste.

[tekisui]

11. LOL!

Please tell me who is acceptable, other than the Administration?

[tekisui]

5. Is that a reason for us to not do better?

[Warren Stupidity]

4. WTF?

Ok WSW - probably this is a somewhat inflammatory analysis of the proposal. But still, was Arizona just another head game from the kleptocracy? Dazzle them with outright local fascism, then push through the real national program to seal the borders, force a national id system on everyone, and increase the size of a federal police force to, keep them out or us in? Or does it really matter?

[Codeine]

7. More WSWS silliness.

Clumsiest agitprop EVAR!