12 Scenes from the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007

Sticking your nose in the sausage factory

Brian Doherty | May 29, 2007

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10) From Sec. 1547: “Any person who--(1) knowingly enters into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws; or (2) knowingly misrepresents the existence or circumstances of a marriage….shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.” The investigation and ferreting out of the true, deep-down, for-real emotional meaning and circumstances of a marriage is a widely felt need in American’s private lives; seems a shame to restrict it to “green card marriages.” There’s always the next Comprehensive Act.

11) From Sec. 240D: “Nothing in this section shall be construed to require law enforcement personnel of a State or a political subdivision to assist in the enforcement of the immigration laws of the United States.” Los Angeles’s “Special Order 40” and related laws keeping local cops out of immigration enforcement would still be safe under this law.

12) From Sec. 274A: “The Secretary, in cooperation with the Commissioner of Social Security, shall implement an Electronic Employment Verification System…to determine whether--(A) the identifying information submitted by an individual is consistent with the information maintained by the Secretary or the Commissioner of Social Security; and (B) such individual is eligible for employment in the United States…..The Secretary shall require all employers in the United States to participate in the System, with respect to all employees hired by the employer on or after the date that is 18 months after the date that not less than $400,000,000 have been appropriated and made available to implement this subsection.” That’s $400 million that will have to be spent, to start making sure we all have our papers in order. This is in a system managed and maintained by the federal government, in order to have the legal right to work. Might this be money ill-spent? Hopefully, our senators will have sufficient time to ponder this one tiny detail of the 790 page bill.

Brian Doherty is a senior editor of reason.

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