Better border reform
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Tuesday, January 3, 2006

When Congress returns, one item on the Senate’s plate will be an overhaul of immigration law passed by the House. Among other things, this bill would require a 700-mile fence along the Mexican border.

Such a fence may well be required, but not via this bill, largely a grab-bag of increased penalties for irrelevant infractions.

A month ago we endorsed a bill sponsored by Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) which, like a proposal from President Bush, would legalize many of the 11 million illegal aliens. This is still the best approach, and we hope the White House resumes discussions on a compromise that can block the House bill.

The Kennedy-McCain bill does not attempt the impossible, which the president’s bill would in a provision that illegal aliens eventually return home and apply again to enter the U.S. Enforcing that has all the chance of a Cancun snowball in July.

Kennedy and McCain would permit illegal workers to work for up to six years on payment of a $1,500 fine — a tough hurdle for low-paid workers and a far cry from amnesty.

Widespread illegal immigration is one reason that compensation for food-store workers grew only 1.6 percent in the year to September. We think the evidence is persuasive that heavy immigration of low-skilled workers depresses wages among the low-skilled generally.

A report from the Congressional Budget Office noted one study by George Borjas of Harvard’s Kennedy School that estimated heavy immigration could have reduced the earnings of male high-school dropouts by 9 percent. Any reform has to relieve the heavy immigrant labor competition.

Many people, including President Bush, argue that immigrants take jobs Americans don’t want. That’s true. It’s also true that fewer low-skilled immigrants would mean higher wages for those jobs — harvesting, cleaning hotel rooms, tending lawns, minding kids — and more native applicants.

We have long advocated generous legal immigration and effective measures against illegals. The Kennedy-McCain bill wisely would permit 400,000 low-skill workers to enter each year, to work for as long as six years before going home or starting proceedings for permanent status. If it takes a fence to make this work, we’re for it.