Congress’ passage of a border security law, which calls for building 700 miles of fence along the 2800-mile southern border and $1.2 billion in new federal spending, fails to address the causes of illegal immigration, according to the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation.

“There is no question that border security is key in addressing the problem,” said Helen E. Krieble, president of the foundation. “However, simply building a fence falls far short of the mark.”
“In order to fully address the border security problem, lawmakers must also solve the labor issues that caused it,” said Ms. Krieble. “Most Americans understand that it is not possible to fully control the border without some solution to the labor problem, and history proves it. Illegal immigration plummeted when the government operated the Bracero program in the 1940’s and ‘50’s, and skyrocketed again when the program was abolished. Clearly border control is easier when we offer legitimate workers a legal means of coming to work. Unfortunately, Congress has so far missed an easy opportunity to do that.”

“The plan introduced by Rep. Mike Pence and Sen. Kay Bailey-Hutchison, based largely on a plan we developed at the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation, would address both border security and the labor issues in a practical and workable way,” she added. “The private-sector operation it proposes would ease pressure on U.S. borders and allow border agents to concentrate on apprehending the most dangerous criminals. Employment companies would efficiently process and track employees, perform background checks, link specific workers to specific jobs, and issue tamper-proof cards that could easily be verified.

“As an employer, I know firsthand the value of these temporary guest workers and the bureaucratic struggles of getting them admitted. Congress should return to Washington after the elections and give this issue the serious attention it deserves. Solutions are available, and continuing to ignore the problem would be irresponsible,” said Ms. Krieble.

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