Confusion Factor

On the way home to work this morning (where I am now, where I am supposed to be working) I heard a story on the "New and Improved" Immigration bill that has just passed the Senate. I listen to NPR as much as possible, because I really have no interest in the American Idol and Grey's Anatomy updates that I can get from the local channels and the only Talk Radio I can get here in the deep, dark South is crap like Limbaugh & Savage.

So, the news story is on NPR and I am listening closely. I have many opinions on Immigration, but they tend to conflict with each other, because even I can punch holes in them. I was impressed that each party seemed to have compromised and seemed to be working together. But what I heard was disturbing.

"The illegal workers would have to pay a $5,000 fine,
return to their home country to apply for a visa, and
wait eight to 13 years to gain permanent status. But
Kennedy said it also would mean that immigrant parents
would no longer live in paranoia about being arrested and
sent away from children who are U.S. citizens by birthright."

How is this helpful? How many illegal workers HAVE $5000? These are people who (from my understanding) are working at below minimum wage jobs. How many legal workers have $5000? But the really strange part of this entire story is that I can' t find this information anywhere else. Not on CNN, Fox, MS NBC, New York Times or the Washington Post. I even Googled it and could not find a story with this information. As a matter of fact, first thing this morning, there was not even a mention of the $5000 fine (although it is in most stories now) and in this lovely story from Fox News, it sounds like the immigrants could make a brief trip home and then come back here to live and work. Which is it??

What is going to happen to our country if most of the undocumented workers are removed? Right here on the Redneck Riviera, there are supposed to be some outrageous number of condos completed in the next 30 days. Who is going to finish them? I do not believe that people should sneak into any country, but why do they have to? These are people who are working hard for their money, maybe to send it home, maybe to go home one day. Maybe to stay and become citizens. Why do we make it so difficult?

Like I said, I have a lot of questions and not a lot of understanding about the subject. I do not believe that immigrants are taking the jobs of Americans. Where I work, we have 4 people from other countries. They are all here legally, but they are here because the job could not be filled by Americans, there were none with the qualifications. Two have PhDs, two have Masters, all four are researchers. One is on his way to citizenship and on the verge of a divorce, because his wife never was allowed to even visit (OK, she had legal troubles, but to not even allow a VISIT?)

This is just one more of those issues that I can plainly see is not being handled correctly, but have absolutely no idea what the correct handling would be.