The solution is to create a demilitarized zone between Mexico and the US like the one between North and South Korea. A border like this would be very effective and nearly impenetrable.
Also, birthright citizenship needs to be revised. Make laws that forbid the children of illegal immigrants and foreigners from every being candidates for citizenship.
4
Trump is preparing flower bouquets and thank you notes for the democratic candidates. A special bouquet will go to Ocasio. It's as if they were working to get him reelected. Trump can't thank them enough.
5
Booker's heart is in the right place, but his Democratic campaign logic isn't. Is he campaigning for Democratic Independent votes, or the immigrant vote? Hint..hint, Corey, they can't vote. And, your rhetoric is the kiss if death if we want to dump Trump. This is one liberal who hopes Booker disappears very fast.
5
How about allowing the people of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to set up a vote, or making some other type agreement, for making these countries formal U.S. Territories. A government could therefore be formed upon the same system as it is here and the people would be granted U.S. citizenship. The corrupt governments would be expelled or imprisoned, the U.S. Military could be deployed before it is completed to detain all gang members and others to await trial. Policies would be enacted and aid provided to get the countries on their feet. America factories can be set up there giving people much needed employment, they would therefore be allowed to travel to the United States legally to attend school, or obtain a degree at an American university that they could put to use to improve their country of origin if they so choose, and they would be free from the massive gang violence many are fleeing from in the first place. Doing something of this nature would solve most all of the problems with immigration.
Pass a law or amendment to the constitution to grant Puerto Rico statehood status, and grant new territories statehood after a certain period of time. It has been long enough for the people of Puerto Rico to have been a territory alone, to have U.S. citizenship, without the right to vote in the presidential election. The only thing that has prevented this is the republicans in this country who know that their racist beliefs would have to end or their party would end
1
@David Parchert
The USA does not need more poor uneducated people.
Either as part of the USA, or as immigrants.
The notion of us "going down there",
taking over,
and making them part of the USA
(even as a "mere" territory)
makes almost as little sense than letting them all come here.
It would result in full US responsibility
with very little real control.
A thankless task.
Better simply to stay out altogether.
They need to learn to take care of themselves.
One Puerto Rico is plenty.
We do not need 10 or 20 of them.
100 years ago, there were good strategic and commercial reasons to be in Panama.
But eventually, it became time to get out.
And we did get out.
One of the more sensible things Jimmy Carter did.
1
And Booker has no chance to be president
5
Detain them -- all of them -- no exceptions.
Sure, keep the kids together with their parents --
-- in detention 24/7 --
unless and until they prove their right to stay.
And when their claim is denied--
or they fail to pursue it --
then deportation -- pronto -- straight from detention.
Presence inside the USA is the big prize --
exactly what the gatecrashers want.
Giving them what they want will encourage more to come.
That would be the biggest giveaway of all.
Once let loose to run free inside the USA,
they will never be deported,
even if they never prove their right to stay.
"Alternatives to Detention" is DoubleTalk for Open Borders.
10 or 20 million illegals now is a huge number.
But it will get far, far worse.
If Cory Booker and like-minded Dems get their way,
it will easily be hundreds of millions, likely billions.
The world has well over 7 billion people.
Billions will come.
Olly olly oxen, all in free.
4
What we need, first of all, is an end to immigration decisions by executive order. Congress must step up and create a comprehensive, and humane, immigration policy. I'm with Senator Booker on an end to for-profit prisons for immigrants; we should do that right away. But we need a long-term solution that can't be undone by the next president.
2
Booker's plan is a good start, but to really set himself apart from other Democratic candidate he need to offer a comprehensive plan for immigration reform.
Democrats have been loath to do this because they know that this is a divisive issue even within their own party. The GOP also failed when they controlled congress and Trump, for all his noise about the border never offered or supported new legislation.
My bet is that any Democratic candidate that boldly takes on real immigration reform will loose some support in the short run, but will gain it back and more in the long run.
American's are tired of all these arguments over detention facilities and mistreatment of children. They also know that they don't want an open border.
So why doesn't someone offer a clear alternative that enforces just, sensible laws while also addressing the mistakes of the past that have produced an unjust and inhumane system?
4
@Drspock
"Comprehensive immigration reform"
is DoubleTalk for amnesty
and other giveaways to gatecrashers.
The USA needs comprehensive immigration control --
not "comprehensive immigration reform.
2
I love how all the progressive candidates assume these potential voters would vote Democrat. I've often wondered how many tears Democrats would cry for the children if they thought their (largely Catholic) parents would vote for a pro-life candidate.
5
How each candidate handles immigration and the border crises is going to have a serious impact on the outcome of the 2020 election, probably more so than any other issue. I’m hearing nearly open borders being a platform during the democratic primaries. Maybe that’s not what they intend but that’s what I’m hearing. No one’s getting my vote if they support that. Booker has some good ideas, some better than others, some not acceptable to me at all. The person who gets my vote balances compassion with secure borders and fairness in the immigration process.
I agree with some other comments here. If so many US Citizens were not paying illegal workers under the table and exploiting them we would not be drawing in so many illegal immigrant workers. Let’s hold those citizens equally accountable. And for those illegal immigrant workers who use fake social security numbers, they’re earning SS and Medicare benefits they will never be able to use when they get deported. This is all wrong for them and for us. Exploitation is a criminal enterprise just as much as being here illegally but one side is operating from a position of strength and greed and the other from desperation.
@Color Me Purple
They pay very little in any taxes because their wages are underreported and they claim multiple children . What they pay into social security is nothing compared to the massive fraud they commit when filing for income tax returns under fraudulent Identification.
1
How can a politician, a man who is a candidate for the presidency no less, be so completely out of touch with the mood of the American public at this time. It's just sad that Dems cannot find a sane voice on this issue. We so need one.
22
He probably is focusing upon gaining the support to become the Democratic nominee, then he will pivot towards the center.
1
I believe it is wrong to admit unaccompanied minors to the US to be made dependents of the the state and have to experience assimilation onto our society on their own.
As minors they must be returned to their own country and put into the custodial care of a society that us familiar to them. We have no business detaining them in this country.
We should NOT exacerbate the existing illegal immigrant issues we have by handing off these children to other illegal immigrants.
Start with the day to day things they need; who remembers the border surges of the Obama administration where the children could not find anything familiar to eat?
And the non-existent education in their countries where children, into their teens, could not "name" colors in their own language, were unable to perform simple math and could not read?
This is apparently fine in their home environment but is not acceptable for any prospective immigrant to the US and hugely expensive for us to remediate.
Our border controls and immigration controls are meant to prevent prospective immigrants from becoming a burden on the state.
Mr Booker is playing to the wrong audience, it is dangerous and sends the wrong message to badly educated, unsophisticated people who will gladly accept what he's offering.
Mr Booker needs to recognize that these people don't have the vote.
13
In a comment below, Richard of Denver suggests having the U.N. open a refugee camp to give asylum seekers a place to stay while their applications are being processed. He points out that this is what is done everywhere else.
He does not specifically say where the refugee camp should be established. Since the vast majority of recent Central American migrants are Guatemalan, and migrants from Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua go through Guatemala on their way to the United States, I suggest the U.N. ask the Guatemalan government if a refugee camp could be set up there.
As thousands of Central American migrants are already in Mexico on their way to the U.S. (or are waiting in line at a U.S. border crossing), Mexico might be amenable to letting the U.N. set up refugee camps in Mexico.
Asylum seekers would have the option of living on their own or of staying in a camp while they apply for refuge in the U.S. or elsewhere. Our immigration judges could interview the applicants on Skype. Those who qualify for asylum could then be brought to the U.S. as refugees.
We are currently allowing 90% of Central Americans who request asylum into the U.S. to wait for their immigration hearings even though only 10 to 15% of them are eventually found to qualify for it. But once admitted to our country, few ever leave. Requiring them to remain outside the U.S. while their applications are processed, and they are interviewed, would alleviate this problem.
8
America should have strong immigration laws that are also compassionate, fair and just.
The border needs to beef up its technology; hire more immigration judges and border patrol agents along with helping Third World countries and setting up a massive Guest Worker Program, similar to the Canadian model.
Mexico has sent workers to Canada for four decades. The U.S. already has a small guest worker program that is inadequate.
Qualified workers can work in U.S. and be allowed to leave the country to go back home and return every year.
Here is a suggestion: Those people seeking asylum along with other immigrants who have been screened can be allowed to participate in the Guest Worker program.
Part of their wages can be used to pay for the program and their employers can also contribute to a fund that will pay for transportation, medical costs, housing and a private pension fund that will be given to workers when they retire.
Funds from foreign aid to certain foreign counties is used to pay for the program.
Workers can be protected from exploitation. And, they will be allowed to chose from three regions in the U.S. where they prefer to work.
A few months later, they will go back to their countries after making money used to support their families and countries' economies.
Employers can recruit certain workers. Workers who commit felonies or misdemeanors are automatically kicked out of the program.
Asylum seekers can wait in countries of origin while they are in the worker program.
3
Should be a NYT pick.
Commenter RHernandez of Santa Barbara is working the problem. Certainly his/her ideas are worthy of discussion.
I am fearful reading the commentary on articles such as this, though, that those incited to hatred and violence by Mr. Trump do not seek workable solutions. (I would go further and conjecture that for many of them the southern border was not an issue on their radar until Mr. Trump suggested it.) Now, thanks to Trump Advertising, Inc. their bloodlust is up.
When people are looking for a physical fight, they can usually find it. Nothing else will satisfy that sadomasochistic rush of inflicting pain. It’s a high you can’t replicate with diplomacy and negotiation.
Donald Trump has tapped into that vein. I don’t think those of us who don’t think that way can appreciate the extent of the motherlode he’s hit.
Let’s just say I’m glad I’m in the autumn of my life. It’s going to be a pretty barren spring for those with most of their lives ahead of them.
2
@RHernandez
"Mexico has sent workers to Canada for four decades".
How many?
Answer -- very, very few.
As of 2016.
Total Mexican-born in Canada -- 80,590
Total all other immigrants -- 7,460,240.
Barely 1%.
By comparison,
Total Mexican-born in USA -- 11,573,000
Total all other immigrants -- 32,165,000
That's 25%.
Seriously, just why would it take 3 YEARS to phase out private county or local prisons and detention centers that are currently being contracted out by DHS? The original prisons in most places are still standing or being used by the corporations who hold the contracts. The Army Corps of Engineers can easily build new temporary centers and construct permanent facilities within a years time. It sounds as if Mr. Booker wants to make sure these private companies can suck up as much taxpayer money as possible before moving on to another part of the government to bleed dry. It certainly shouldn’t have to take three years to accomplish this task.
I live in rural Michigan (one of a small minority of white, over 50 year old, men in the extremely large expanse of rural areas in Michigan that isn’t a Trump supporter but a proud liberal) and we have a CLOSED DOWN correctional facility located in Standish, Michigan that my state spends upwards of a million dollars per year to maintain. It would be extremely easy to renovate this facility, and many others across the country, into a proper detention facility for the small amount of migrants who may require to be detained for security reasons. This could easily be accomplished by the end of 2022. As for the majority of migrants, give them court dates and let them go. Put GPS monitors on them and if they miss two court dates then deport them (if you need to appease some nut jobs). It should not be so difficult to fix this Trump-made issue.
1
@David Parchert
GPS monitors are not a solution.
They can be easily cut off.
Give them a court date?? -- Also not a solution.
Most do not show up.
Only way to make sure they show up --
Detention -- 24/7 --
all of them -- adults and children --
families together?? -- Ok, but in detention, together.
Corey Booker is a compassionate guy and his immigration proposals reflect it. Unfortunately, the right wing has turned to closed borders and tighter restrictions on immigration as a political tool, both here and in Europe.
This issue is not going away. Muslim migrants in Europe are fleeing the chaos of the Middle East, including the civil war in Syria. Central American migrants are fleeing violence, unrest and declining agricultural economies due to climate change (the World Bank projects that the latter factor alone will force 1.4 million people to flee Central America during the next three decades).
This issue has a humanitarian dimension and needs a more nuanced look than it has been getting from the Trump administration.
1
It’s a ‘political tool.’ You nailed it.
As did your last paragraph. ‘Nuance’ is not a term in Donald Trump’s lexicon.
1
@J.C. Hayes
"nuanced look"??
Latin America, Africa and Asia have 7 billion people,
half of them in poverty.
How many will your "nuance" keep out?
You better get yourself ready for 2 or 3 billion
to come here if "nuance" is going to rule.
Immigration to the USA
is not a solution to "poverty",
nor to "climate change".
They need to stay home and fix their own problems.
Many parts of the world supposedly are suffering
from "climate change" -- even the USA.
Migration from the rest of the world to the USA
is not the solution to climate change.
The solution for each country to make
internal adjustments.
If some kind of "migration" is needed,
then it should be internal migration.
Because I am so terrified of the far left, and because I do believe, hand on heart, that it's a matter of time before the witch hunts begin in earnest to expose and persecute anyone who doesn't pass the purity test, I am perversely happy the further left these progressive Democratic candidates go. The more voters they can alienate, the better.
14
Well at least Cory had the sense not to travel as far as AOC did to make a fool out himself with haplessness as she did on border matters. Any savings in carbon dioxide creation is always welcome.
10
I love Cory, and I'm the grandson of someone who entered this country illegally in the 1920s. But putting this front and center spells the end of his campaign. It will not win a single red state voter or Never Trumper. Without them, the Dems have no shot.
17
@Frank
100% agree.
Even this -usually- reliable Democrat voter doesn't like any of the plans put forward by Booker or his cohorts.
Letting in 100's of thousands of people in every month only encourages more. So does decriminalizing illegal border crossings and offering health insurance to unauthorized immigrants.
There is a huge un/semi skilled worker demand here in the US. The fact that Congress or the Executive branch cannot work to legislate updated temporary worker programs that considers today's needs while also protecting against exploitation is a crying shame.
Border enforcement, incentivizing countries to take steps to improve their economies and their law and order situation and a realistic guest worker program is a more sensible solution to the blanket sops that the Democrats seem to be offering.
9
"If liberals insist that only fascists enforce borders, then voters will hire fascists to do the job liberals refuse to do."
David Frum wrote that in an April article in the Atlantic.
We have close to that in the White House right now. He was voted in largely on the issue of immigration.
So what do Democratic candidates do? Go even further left than in 2016.
Now it's free healthcare for everyone here illegally, and a lot more.
We can't afford to lose again. This country, Democrats, all of us, can't afford to lose.
Democratic politicians must come to their senses or it's another 4 years of Trump.
14
@Talbot Well Trump did everything he could to make the 2018 election be about immigration. Democratic house candidates received 8 million more votes than Republican ones. There were House races in every district in the country.
@Jack Toner It wasn't progressive Democrats winning in safe blue districts that gave us the House. It was the moderate Democrats who won in places that had voted for Trump.
3
The problem is the appearances projected by those on the right and those on the left.
The right is presenting an argument that we are being invaded by foreigners who are coming here to exploit our generosity, and furthermore they are elbowing us aside, taking over control of our republic. There is also a clear racist attitude because the do not complain about the undocumented fro all the other countries on Earth who enter by, air, sea, and our northern border.
The left simply will not address the heavy factor of smuggling that is part of it. Would be immigrants are spending thousands of dollars each for smugglers to get them in. Some of the people trying to get in are truly bad peoples. The burden upon border security and immigration services is overwhelming. The left trivializes this and even some demonize those enforcing our laws because they cannot convince lawmakers to change the laws.
Booker's planned "overhaul" isn't just "drastic:" it's insane. It does away with the rule of law with regard to the most challenging current crisis: the migration of millions from the global south to the global north -- whether to America or Europe. The greatest omission in the system is enforcement -- humane enforcement: securing our borders and controlling illegal immigration within the US. Booker's irrational plan would provide still more incentives to illegal aliens to enter the US. Most credible demographic estimates show something like 200 million wish to come to the US. Such numbers would cause a population explosion that could take us up to nearly half a billion here by 2070; bankrupt our already vulnerable social safety net; brutally affect the lives of our most vulnerable citizens -- the working-poor, working-class, black males from 19-40, the elderly who must still work, young people who can't get into the job market. It would vastly expand the dangerous economic chasm between the rich and the poor (see California) and dramatically raise chances of class warfare. Booker's plan, like the crocodile tears being shed by the Democrats in Congress and those seeking the nomination, are pure hypocrisy. In MARCH, Secretary Nielsen of DHS BEGGED Congress to address the humanitarian crisis on the border, as well as lawlessness. She was mocked for her efforts. But there is no crisis for Democrats who see illegal aliens as their future voters.
29
@Dr. Svetistephen
Agree with your points and would add that these proposer a sure way for Trump to scare his base and others into four more years.
Making crossing the border the equivalent of getting a parking ticket is radically inapt a solution.
As a liberal democrat I can’t understand this movement to open up even more a porous border to good people who nevertheless through their numbers threaten our underdeveloped social services.
10
@DD
Thanks for your comment. I've been a life-long Democrat and a liberal (I now must shun the term "progressive" as there's far too much unwanted baggage associated with the term). I don't question that by far the greatest number of migrants are good people; they want upward social and economic movement and, in some case, are genuine asylum seekers (but not the huge majority). The problem is that it's axiomatic that a modern post-industrial knowledge-based society with a large welfare system where upward movement is entirely dependent on education isn't one where Central American peasants will prosper. In addition, the NEXT BIG THING coming into the economy -- robotics, machine-learning and automation on steroids is going to demand a dramatically smaller workforce. That will hammer Americans with only a high school education. How we make the transition to a society in which what we understand as "work" will need to be radically re-defined is the greatest issue. Compared to that immigration is a trivial one. Except that the coming economy makes arguably the most powerful case for barring the admission of low-skill uneducated labor. Even a desired movement to merit-based immigration won't be a perfect solution. Best.
6
@Dr. Svetistephen Quite a scary picture you paint, Doc also quite silly. For many years we haven't enforced our immigration laws very well. That's how we ended up with 10 million or so folks living here without the legal right to do so.
Now you tell us it will soon be 200 million. Uh-huh. Why will it go up by a factor of 20? Because of "creditable demographic estimates"!
Are you actually a doctor? Demographers don't make such estimates. You either seriously misunderstood something you read or you just made it up.
I don't doubt someone conducted a poll on this issue. But it's not a demographic estimate, it's a poll result.
1
Even more leftist:
O’Rourke visits Mexico, meets turned away US asylum seekers
individuals and families directly impacted by "Donald Trump’s cruel and inhumane policies.”
10
Simple plan...give each of those countries from where immigrants are pouring in (including Mexico) $3 billion annually provided they stop people leaving their borders without papers.
Monitor the spending of $1billion (from the $3B) to create asylum protection zones in those countries where cases for the asylum seekers can be heard and they can be protected while the process is going on.
The recipient country is free to do whatever it wants with the remaining $2B.
Every person from one of those countries that tries to cross the border, reduce the amount by $1 million until the $3B becomes 0.
In addition to the $3B that Mexico gets, give them an additional $1B. This gets reduced by $1million for every non-Mexican that tries to cross the border without papers.
Give it a try for 5 years...after all we are spending huge sums anyway...
4
Every serious federal politician needs to read the recent statements- in English- by El Salvador’s new, wise, and brave president. Solutions to the complex web of issues wrapped around what has come to be called “immigration” lie in Central America. We need to have a discussion about the economics-based solutions that fight the horrific poverty that drives a father into a river with his daughter. For example, why not create a special economic zone in Central America that exports clothing to the USA without federal taxation? Perhaps American want to buy clothing “Made in El Salvador” and not “Made in China.” Try to shift those jobs from China to Central America and give these people something to stay home and live for. With their daughters and sons.
8
@Eric Weisblatt
We already have CAFTA - the Central American Free Trade Agreement. I wonder what it allows, and if something like what you are recommending could come under it.
I consider myself a progressive Democrat but there’s no way I’d vote for Booker after this. What a disastrous policy proposal, not mention that it’s a fabulous gift to Trump and Republicans. The man needs to end his candidacy before he causes even more damage or Trump will win in a landslide.
19
I don’t support these open border policies at all. Allowing illegal aliens to flood into this country is a threat to American citizens and taxpayers. I would vote for Trump and all that entails before I voted for any of these Democrats.
20
@Lynn in DC
No one is suggesting there be open borders, this is not a plan for open borders, no one aside from misinformation sources like Fox News and Commander Bone-Spurs says the Democratic Platform are for open borders.
Saying it is "Open Borders" doesn't make it so, no matter how many times they repeat it.
4
@peter
Reducing illegal entry to a civil infraction is, in effect, opening the border.
11
If it walks like a duck.........
6
Hey Democrats, you put this guy in office! Second thoughts now???
11
Democrats have become the party of illegal aliens. I guess they think that is a a winning strategy.
But as someone who has to pay for his healthcare; free healthcare for illegals just doesn't appeal to me. Unlimited immigration also strikes me as a loosing policy. But hey it makes the Democratic elites feel superior so it must be good. Right?
I hate Trump cannot vote for the grifter but I am not voting for this either.
24
Unfortunately, not being able to work with Congress is one of the reasons we got in this mess, both on the immigration front and looming authoritarianism.
3
Stop, it’s a trap! All of this may play well for the primaries but it is deadly in Nov. 2020. The Middle Class has been pounded by forces beyond their control for over a decade. Anything that can be construed as amnesty is a total killer and blots-out 30 or 40 smart policy ideas. This Trump Trap is almost genetically designed to capitalize on the heroic nature of Cory Booker (and others) so it can boomerang around and be used to label him as someone in favor of open borders. It’s the “Clinton E-mails” of 2020. Avoid!
11
Let's just entitle the document: "Borders? Why?"
16
I don't think Sen. Booker has gone far enough. All migrants arriving at the border who claim asylum should be put up at the Four Seasons until they can be properly fitted out with Obamacare cards and placed in nice 3-bedroom single family homes in communities with good schools, all at taxpayer expense, of course.
16
Ah yes, a " special envoy " to lead the effort on corruption, violence, climate change, world hunger, unkindness ... that'll do the trick.
4
Senator Corey Booker is picking the low hanging fruit. He is piggy backing on the grave problem at our Southern border first brought to a presidential campaign in a big way by Trump. I always believe that problems are best solved by dealing with the root causes. As an independent, I see 2 major causes for the crisis on the Southern border. Agree with Sen. Booker that the detention centers are probably not several fold better than Hanoi Hilton and conditions need to be humane no matter. When people leave their homelands out of desperation due to exploding population, crime, corrupt leaders and fear for their lives that to me is the root cause. The president of El Salvador deserves to be applauded for the fate of his citizens who pathetically drowned in the river. He graciously accepted the blame and hopefully will improve the situation of the poor and terrorized people of El Salvador. I have been to El Salvador around the turn of the century and I found it to be a decent place then for its citizens. I have no idea what has happened in the first 16 years of this century when America took its attention from our backyard and spend trillions on useless regime change wars in the middle east and Afghanistan.
6
Has Senator Booker not noticed that he has power NOW to address this problem NOW? That he could lead a Senate insurrection to topple Mitch McConevil and get legislative control of his own branch of government to address this and other fascist, self-dealing, and human rights abusing behavior by the executive branch? That he did, in fact, take an oath to protect the republic against such cancers? I'm tired of hearing what these people would do if they were president - WE NEED THEM ALL TO ACT NOW.
2
What’s your story, Cory Booker?
Feel like you’re in a pressure cooker?
You proposed drastic changes to
America’s immigration detention system?
If you’re proposing, we’re accepting!
Drastic changes? Fantastic changes!
To the immigration detention system?
No more frustration. Ovation! Elation!
Now that you’ve got my attention....
List ‘em!
We need to improve wages and working conditions for low-skill, US citizens. Low-skill, hard working people from other countries drive down wages and worsen working conditions for US citizens.
Yes, someone legally entitled to work will pick your tomatoes or paint your house if you pay them enough. Heck, the moles in my yard are picking my tomatoes for free!
Young, Black men have the worst employment levels, and they aren't paid enough to make work attractive. Why doesn't Senator Booker care more about these US citizens than he cares about people from other countries?
We don't have a labor shortage, 'we' just don't want to pay workers a decent wage.
20
Poor people want to live in nice houses and have well paying and interesting jobs. They are not eager to take any job just to have a positive income as most academic economists always argue is the rational choice. Eliminating cheap immigrant labor means big increases in the costs of products that they help provide. Don’t think that unemployed poor teenagers are going to show up to replace them.
1
@Casual Observer
If cheap products are really needed,
far better to import cheap products
made with cheap labor outside the USA
than to import cheap labor to make them here.
Furthermore,
the drumbeat to legalize them once they are here will never stop,
and, as soon as they are legalized,
their wages will go up.
Meantime, legal or illegal,
their kids will get free K-12 schooling
at taxpayer expense,
and one way or another they and their kids will wrangle free health care.
Plus, roads and parks will be jam-packed,
and water and sewer systems overloaded until they crumble.
Being a lifelong American citizen for 58 years, and my wife being an immigrant for nearly 2 decades, who worked as hard as she possibly could to earn her citizenship, so she could vote in our elections, successfully, of which she is understandably very proud, we are both flabbergasted, and extremely disappointed (more than disappointed, really, I'm furious), that Gavin Newsome signed into a law that gives illegal aliens, medical benefits. I pay about $1200/month (including employer contribution) for my medical insurance. And even with that, we are right on the verge of not making it, due to medical bills after a diagnosis and successful cancer treatment. I get NOTHING for free. b
24
@BorisRoberts
Californian politicians forbid state officials from asking a person about his immigration status. When a few Californian municipalities voted to require all private contractors with whom they did business to use the e-verify system (to make sure that all of their employees were allowed to work in the U.S.), the state voted to make such requirements illegal. The state will not inform the Immigration Service when it is about to discharge an illegal migrant from prison unless the migrant was imprisoned for an especially heinous crime.
In providing illegal migrants with benefits normally reserved for citizens and legal residents, Californian politicians have been erasing the distinction between legal and illegal immigration. They now want to use federal dollars to help pay for the medical insurance for illegal migrants. If the Census counts all residents, without asking if a resident is here legally, then more additional Congressional seats and federal money will be allocated to California than it deserves.
California is slowly usurping the federal government’s exclusive authority over immigration and naturalization.
4
@ann California uses its federal funds to provide Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program) solely to lawful residents. That is a requirement of the federal Medicaid laws that govern the provision of federal Medicaid funding, and if the state didn't comply, it would lose that federal funding. Medi-Cal for those who don't qualify under the federal law (e.g., people outside of the federal income limits or not authorized to be here) is paid for solely from the state budget according to state law. Both the federally funded program and the state-funded program are called Medi-Cal because they are administered the same way by the same agencies. Regardless of what one thinks of providing medical coverage to everyone, this isn't usurpation of federal authority: It's a perfectly lawful exercise of states' rights.
The same analysis applies to a state's refusal to report to ICE; state officers work for the state and are paid by the state. Because, as you point out, the feds have exclusive authority over immigration, they must do their own enforcement: federal agencies cannot commandeer sovereign state agencies to enforce federal law unless the state consents.
States' rights aren't reserved solely for conservative states.
1
Where is the critical thinking on this issue? Education is the currency of the future and the only way the US can stay ahead of the rest of the world. Importing educated people is a smarter strategy as the cost of education is high, we are witness to that in the US.
This is not the early 1900's when any one immigrant could be substituted for another. Portugal is among the poorest countries in Europe because it has the least educated workforce.
If we want someone to pay a meaningful amount into our social security and medicare, we can't have low skill immigrants, a better strategy is to have a guest worker program for those kind of jobs with no path to citizenship.
5
I'm a first generation American. I have a decent paying job with no health benefits and work with an illegal immigrant workforce that gets paid cash. So, if I go to Mexico on vacation, ditch my passport and try to blend in with the illegal border crossers, do I then get health benefits?
Booker isn't even a suitable candidate for urban welfare reform, and I am looking to legally cross political borders with my vote.
15
Before passing judgement on Sen. Booker’s plan, I would first like to hear from the other 24-odd Democratic candidates.
3
Democrats need a real policy that independents can appreciate. Want to win more elections- have a position that doesn’t make half of America cringe.
DACA path to citizenship
Guest worker program accessible only from sending country with $15 wage and healthcare paid by employer
Very strict asylum conditions
Central American aid and investment
Fines for hiring employers
Jail time for repeat employer offenders
Mandatory e-verify
Faster asylum process with swift repatriation
6
It’s about more than detention. It’s about all the dangers of the entire life-threatening journey.
Never forget the photo of Oscar Martinez and his precious little girl. Remember why they ended up dead in the Rio Grande.
He was lured to this fate by many people, including:
1. Politicians who created sanctuary cities free from federal immigration enforcement
2. Employers seeking low-wage workers to boost profits
3. Congressional representative dedicated to preventing any physical border barrier from being built
4. Non-profit, church-affiliated groups that live off taxpayer dollars to “serve” illegal aliens and bogus asylum seekers
5. Immigration activists who make promises, organize caravans, but can’t actually guarantee anyone legal entry
They are all part of Big Immigration, an entire industry that encourages the influx of millions of low-wage workers into the U.S.
Big Immigration enticed Mr. Martinez and millions of others to quickly rush the U.S. border, obliterating U.S. immigration laws and overwhelming the entire system.
As a result, people aren’t just being detained. Some are also dying.
10
@John
You are so off the mark. These people don't have the time or resources to consider all the items you list. They are struggling for survival -- wondering whether some corrupt government official or local drug lord will knock at the door to shake them down, take away their teens or shoot them point blank. They do not undertake migration lightly, but it is to survive, not to milk the US system. If you ever need help, you may rethink your philosophy.
He is a good person, but I don’t think the majority of American voters are with him and other Democratic politicians who have plans to improve the life of illegal immigrants but do not have plans to reduce the number of them in the short term. Therefore it is unwise to emphasize this issue right now. Even if it helps him to win Democrats’ support, he will not win the general election. That’ll be 4 more years of nightmares for the whole world.
4
Immigrants should be held in better conditions.
But so should incarcerated American citizens. Our prisons are overstuffed with populations 2-3 times what they are supposed to hold. Why? Because we don't want to spend money for safe conditions.
Another example of Dems in the current season putting (illegal) immigrants ahead of Americans. It is jaw-dropping to see the Dem candidates fall all over each other trying to outdo generosity to immigrants. Not sure this will work in the general election: Trump sure doesn't think so...
16
You clearly didn't watch the debates and haven't listened to their speeches or gone to their websites.
They do want to improve the life of the average American -- with universal health care, higher wages, support for unions and worker rights, free college education, etc.
They also want a decent, humane U.S., one that celebrates its diversity, respects human rights, and welcomes immigrants.
It's really not hard to understand even if Trump and Fox Propaganda "News" wants you to believe otherwise!
@Unconventional Liberal
Is it generosity or basic human decency? Anyone who calls herself or himself Christian (as so many in the GOP do) need to consider how their philosophy diverges from the gospel.
At what point will the Supreme Court speak up and either ban or substantially limit the use of executive orders? More and more in recent decades - and now actually promised on "day one" in campaigns - these dubious documents are sought by presidents of both parties as equal to duly enacted laws by Congress, totally upending the balance of powers and the duties demanded by the constitution. The idea that the monarch - oh excuse, me president - can just sign any document that changes or adds to any law, or acts as a substitute for one, is antithetical to our form of government, and is a danger to our liberties. History is showing us, as the Founders well knew, that you cannot just trust that high officials will always do the right and proper thing. This is playing out again and again with these orders.
8
@George S
Jonathan Turley has written extensively on how Congress has steadily relinquished its power to the Executive branch, particularly in the area of Executive Actions. It is just one more example of a dysfunctional Congress and actually has little to do with any single president.
1
@AACNY
Except that they are each more empowered by their predecessors to do more and reach farther. But you’re spot on about Congress failing to take stands and do their jobs. I get so tired of hearing them moan and complain about things when they, having the power to make and change laws, do nothing but spout off for the cameras.
2
@George S
IMO, Congress punts to the SCOTUS too often also. Roberts rightly kicks it back.
2
I know many people don't like to talk about it, but a platform like this lends credence to the idea of an ethnic conflict, no matter how hard the media tries to dispel this notion.
10
Eugene, the ethnic and racial conflict -- and class warfare -- are happening whether or not you want to pay attention to it.
Advocating for policies and programs to address them is a good thing -- it will improve conditions and, in the long-term, *lessen* not aggregate the conflict.
Don't blame the messenger for highlighting the glaring xenophobia, racism, and hatred that Trump is spewing.
Instead of "Make America Great Again", his actual motto and modus operandi is
"Make America Hate Again"!
Immigration is dominating the national election conversation.
People who are actually citizens have less say in what's going to happen than immigrant activists.
Where is the environment in this? The declining middle class? Housing shortages? Education?
17
When over 100,000 per month are making asylum claims at our border, surely the problem isn't how to better accommodate them but rather how to stem the flow and not *encourage* more to come. What is the democrats' plan for that?
18
@AACNY
We know the plan. It would consist of getting more opportunity and justice into the Northern Triangle countries, of encouraging businesses to invest there (and avoid tariffs). Asylum seekers and those seeking temporary protected status because of situations that the US helped create decades ago deserve a hearing.
3
Didn't you watch the debates?
Haven't you listened to their speeches?
Haven't you gone to their websites?
They are, almost to a person, calling for something akin to a Marshall Plan to rebuild Central America, to improve economic and political conditions there, to address the violence, and to dramatically reduce the incentives to leave.
Instead of taking uninformed potshots, so some reading, browsing, and listening.
In the meantime, though, we need to stop the brutality and end the inhumane conditions in these detention camps. It is horrific.
1
@Marsha Pembroke
I saw all Democratic presidential candidates onstage promise free health care for illegal immigrants. If you don't think that's an invitation to come, I don't know what is.
7
I am starting to be in favor of open borders because it does not appear that Trump's administration can get a handle on this crisis. He has made it infinitely more difficult for asylum cases to be heard, he has cut off aid to the countries that these people are fleeing, which just creates more migrants, and he seems unwilling or unable to do anything to alleviate the situation. He is using this to keep his base fired up heading into the election, without the will or the desire to actually change anything.
Booker's plan is a good place to start. While we're waiting for that to take effect though, I am thinking maybe we should just let those now being held into the county. If we can't properly care for them and don't seem able to create a system to process them timely, then let them in.
1
Do decriminalized immigrants have to pay reparations? If not, who does? Let’s see that policy statement.
17
@A. S. Rapide-Who would the "decriminalized immigrants" pay the reparations to? Who have they harmed? If anything, they are the ones who should receive compensation for what they have suffered at the hands of Trump's government.
2
Have you ever met undocumented workers? I have. My experience is that they are very hard workers, love America, want better lives for their children.
I also see rich white real estate developers pay them under the table so the employer doesn’t have to pay FICA or Medicare withholding, pay less than minimum wage while the worker works 12 hour days.
The cruelty is that white people make money off these desperate people, while vilifying them in public.
I do not want OPEN borders and to spread this lie is evil. What I want is orderly borders with a non hypocritical view of immigration. I also want stricter enforcement of the “independent contractor” rules to end the illegal exploitation of workers.
Use of undocumented workers is like prostitution in some ways with the employers being the johns and the workers being the prostitites who are prosecuted while the johns are protected. Mandatory e verify would fix this part of immigration.
37
@Nb
Based on your comments, I assume you are supportive of the Trump Administration’s recent wave of Social Security non-match letters and the upcoming follow up wave of I-9 audits. If you aren’t familiar with them, please look up the details. It’s impressive.
Aggressive actions against employers hiring/exploiting these low-wage workers is only one step toward ending the incentives that entice illegal aliens. But it’s a very important step.
5
@Nb
Agree Agree Agree ... thoughtfully stated.
Will such candidates publicly discuss on -
A. How many people they think USA should take each year, if not unlimited?
B. What should be the basis for taking such people (if not unlimited)?
C. Can that solve the socioeconomic issues that are claiming to be forcing such people to (illegally) immigrate to US (or other “better” countries)? In other words, will such unlimited asylum taking reduce future flow of such illegal immigration?
D. Will the candidates support taking any person claiming to have hard life in his/her home country, not just where many/most of their target vote bank population immigrated from? For example from countries like China, India, Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hungary, Russia, Indonesia etc.?
E. Will Dems support taking anyone with a baby or teen age children?
F. What actions need to be taken for those American employers who recruit such illegal immigrants only to boost its own profit? I do not think such employers care about dignity or other human rights for those people (or even fellow American employees)?
Democrats are entering into a very risking electoral issue that GOP (not just Trump) would love to get engaged in in 2020.
33
@bonku
Yes. Dems are taking the culture wars bait on this one and will get trapped. They have to recognize that Trump's unmitigated racism and awfulness finds a receptive audience because many middle and low income voters view immigrants as an ECONOMIC threat.
They must find a way to restore decency and order to our immigration process without sounding as if they're putting the needs of these desperate foreigners above those of near-desperate citizens.
3
I wish Sen. Booker, a man I admire, would start speaking out about prescription drug costs, prison reform, housing. I'm sure there are many other voters who are looking for a leader who will show programs that will help Americans.
19
@Julia--If he would be president, he should be able to deal with ALL of these issues at the same time, without lying or drama. We expect our presidents to be the smart, able ones. tRump is neither.
2
I'm a Democrat and I do not believe in open borders, nor do I know anyone who does-that's just a lie that Fox propagates. The issue for me is how migrants are treated while we decide if they can stay or are deported. All humans deserve respect and to be treated with dignity, no matter what. The Trump administration seems to think that if migrants are abused and treated badly they will stop coming here but I doubt that will work. We must treat people humanely, must not separate children from parents, then accept only legitimate asylum seekers and deport the rest-Obama deported millions. Additionally, work with Central American countries to reduce crime and the lack of opportunity there. One place some accepted migrants might be happy to go is Puerto Rico. Many people left PR after Maria, so perhaps good jobs could be created there to restore the island and to give migrants a new home. Trump won't do it but businesses could.
7
He won’t be elected so we don’t have to worry about his p,an being implemented.
15
I am a committed registered Democrat. But, on the issue of illegal immigration and the freebies being offered to them, when so many of our own fellow citizens are suffering so much, is immoral. I hate Trump, but I have decided that I will stay home on election day if the eventual Dem candidate is as soft on immigration as Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, etc.
Enough!
I have a recipe for a Dem candidate who wants to win the primaries and the general election. Come out in favor of the rule of law. You don't have to demonize illegals to be able to make the case that we simply cannot afford to accept them all. That to do so is unfair to taxpayers as well as those who waited for years to do it legally. That it is fair only to law breakers -- and their American employers.
I am a naturalized US citizen and I love this country. But I am alarmed because I see us sliding towards becoming an unequal, opportunity-less, scarcity-driven, and mean society. This will not end well. I know what and why I left. I know what I value and treasure about the US.
Please, Democrats, grow a backbone. Please.
50
I used to vote Democrat but they are showing their true colors: they don’t care about Americans, especially the poorest among us. The poorest citizens have had their wages depressed for decades because of the flood of cheap labor due to both Republican and Democratic administration policies.
Enough is enough. Stop illegal immigration and change our amnesty laws. Don’t legalize illegal immigration. Don’t remove sections of the wall. And don’t provide any incentive for people to come here illegally.
32
@Matt, but immigration isn't a primary reason wages have been depressed for decades because undocumented people mostly do jobs that Americans don't want to do anyway, even when offered more money to do them-- that there is the incentive for them to come. Outsourcing, offshoring, automation, declining unions, changing tax laws that disincentivize investment in workers, allowing the minium wage to stagnate, and the rise of the gig economy are other factors that affect wages.
1
@Matt--Corporatists don't care. Progressives do. WE are not in it for the money. Open your eyes, and contribute something other than vitriol.
1
We need to get Health care done. We need to get our education costs in check. We need to address income inequality in this country.
Are we going to throw all of those away to support people that are here or will come here illegally? People who cut in front of those that are immigrating by following our laws?
Really? Really?
22
Ignoring illegal immigration not only flaunts the rule law that our system is based on but also makes wealth inequality worse. Why do you think wages for low-income citizens have been depressed for decades? They have had to compete with illegal immigrants.
I think this is a major reason we are seeing a surge of populism lately in both parties.
5
@AnejoDiego--Actually, we don't spend nearly enough on education. And, we don't spend it well, or fairly. That's one of our problems. That, and trying to privatize everything, for profit.
1
@Matt--Completely wrong. Do yourself a favor and stop drinking that Kool-Aid. Corporations and Union busters suppress wages and benefits. Always have, always will, if they can get away with it. Our most prosperous times, in this country, were when the wealthy paid the highest taxes. Prosperous for EVERYONE, including the rich. Look it up.
1
If the Democrats continue with policies like this, they are sure to loose the election. Couple their stance on de facto open borders with the strong economy under Trump and it is a done deal.
35
Booker , like many democratic politicians, not only ignores the living conditions of Americans but ignores the corruption and abuse by their own police departments. Booker made himself a Hollywood darling by exploiting drug and gang violence in Newark while doing zero to improve conditions. The Newark police department was placed under a federal watch because of so much corruption and abuse and Booker actually pretended it didn't exist. Then of course there are shades of Flint Michigan with the scandal concerning Newark's water. A good thing his buddy Chris Christie was in office to help him on that.
Booker and Deblasio are perfect examples of why democrats will lose the presidential election in 2020. Democrats have done enough of their own gerrymandering and corruption to keep many seats. Yet this has made them tone deaf outside their bubbles. As a result not only is voter turnout down in safe areas but it is down in swing areas. Once again democrats will lose because they have not done the local work needed to inspire Americans to vote for them. Instead they have voters feeling ignored about their own issues while they obsess about illegals. A smokescreen for democrats not facing issues on their own turf, just like Buttigieg.
Democrats need to clean their houses first. I also find it ironic that democrats are now championing states rights over federal. That has always been the refuge of state and local criminals
20
He is a Senator NOW. Why not begin with acting like one and show us the plan in the Senate if it's such a serious need?
I tire of grand plans that only manifest IF they become POTUS.
19
"ending the Trump administration’s restrictions on immigration from predominantly Muslim countries"
The countries with the largest Muslim populations are Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Not one of them is affected by Mr. Trump's ban. But "Muslim ban" it is called and Muslim ban remains as the term in use.
Democrats have come to understand that the public's perception of reality is not determined by the facts but by what they are told.
Mr. Trump does not seem to understand this simple fact. In particular, you cannot explain your policies by means of Tweets. So the Democrats and their misrepresentations of reality take center stage.
This is not to say that Trump's policies are humane or sensible. But what IS the best thing to do given existing law and limited resources? The two parties need to cooperate on these issues. But cooperation is not the name of the game these days.
13
Immigrant children and adults are not being kept in cages or prisons. The vast majority are receiving much better food, water, housing and medical care than they did in their home countries.
Most Americans welcome LEGAL immigrants, but do not want ILLEGAL immigrants. They recognize that the US cannot afford (or choose not) to support our own citizens: the poor, the ill, elderly, disabled, veterans, et al., and that they and other US taxpayers cannot possibly support the hundreds of millions of foreigners who would like to come here.
US laws allow foreigners to seek entry and citizenship. Those who do not follow these laws are in this country illegally and should be detained and deported; this is policy in other countries, too.
The cruelty lies not in limiting legal immigration, or detaining and deporting illegal immigrants, or forcing those who wish to enter the US to wait for processing. What is cruel, unethical and probably illegal is encouraging parents to bring their children on the dangerous trek to US borders and teaching the parents how to game the system to enter the US by falsely claiming asylum, persecution, etc. Indeed, many believe bringing children on such perilous journeys constitutes child abuse.
No other nation has open borders, nor should the US.
56
@Mon Ray When your very first sentence denies a reality attested to by dozens of independent witnesses, the rest of your argument is not worth the time it would take to rebut it. The conditions in some of these camps are atrocious, and in some cases, yes, they have included adults and children being kept in cages or otherwise imprisoned. That's "cruel, unethical and probably illegal." If you want people to take you seriously, start with the facts and stick to the discussion at hand.
2
@Mon Ray
Add to this the fact that’s if they happen to have a child on US soil, everyone will be up in arms if the parents are deporte de because we would’ve then be “separating families”. Democrats want a return to the policies that created this crisis to begin with.
11
@Dan, 4 months ago, The Democrats told us that there was NO CRISIS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER. Which is probably one of the triggers that have sent them this way. And some sort of plan to overwhelm the Border Patrol and Homeland security.
4
"Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey on Tuesday announced a plan to drastically alter the nation’s immigration detention system through an executive order on his first day in office if he is elected president."? I don't think he has to worry. It's not likely to happen, thank goodness.
30
Congress needs to do its job and actually work for a comprehensive immigration overhaul that effectively deals with DACA kids, illegal over stays of visas, migrants illegally crossing the border, the situation in Guatemala and Honduras that creates human misery, and the unfair ability of many (mostly Chinese) to buy their way into this country. There also must be quotas, seasonal worker programs, strict enforcement of the laws and a plan to quickly and humanely resolve alleged claims of political asylum. Additionally, qualifying for asylum must be specifically defined so people who just have a general fear or want economic relief know they will not qualify before they even try. We cannot continue to simply dump masses of people into our already taxed safety net systems.
8
Why doesn't he just cut to the chase and call this what it is: an open border plus an invitation to all who want to come and receive instant health and social welfare benefits. Regulated, humane immigration is great, but I don't want to pay for a free-for-all when I know I'll be lucky if I even receive Social Security one day (before it goes belly-up).
57
@Jen I have a former student from east Asia who will HAVE to leave at the end of September. He is a highly moral person, is legally in the US, and has a doctorate in philosophy.
But he is going to have to leave while the Democrats defend millions who are here illegally and who may not even be fluent in English.
So what justifies all this moralizing by the Democrats?
"We care about him too," they will say. But you are not fighting for him. And that fact tells me what you really feel.
15
@Ludwig
You rarely hear democrats' proposals for legal immigration. We did, however, see that all the Democratic presidential candidates support free heath care for illegal immigrants.
7
Democrats must not treat this immigration mess as a ploy to appease or encourage illegal immigrants, with or without children, in a hope to win elections. It does not matter which countries they are coming from.
It's so emotionally appealing to have visa-less international travel and border-less world where people can move around freely. But to reach that we first must believe in some basic core values about "truth" and "justice", which must be based on (scientific) logic and data, and must not be based on religion, race, or political ideology. And that's also beyond, mainly short term personal interest.
There are reasons why we, just like any other developing or developed nations, have the immigration laws. It's our collective duty to protect our borders. It's not any political issue- or GOP vs Dem issue. First generation immigrants, myself included, need to remember that there are reasons why we left our countries and came to the U.S. There is no reason for us to do anything to undermine that in an effort to make America like the countries we left.
24
I still do not understand why we don't do the same thing as everywhere else in the world and enlist the help of the United Nations and Doctors Without Borders to operate a refugee camp? This way families can stay together, receive medical care, education, etc while their asylum applications are being processed. It could be humane if done right no matter how long it takes and no matter how many.
15
@Richard: and what happens when the 95% of fake asylum claims are rejected? They are economic migrants, in truth and they want to come here very much and they will not be deterred without harsh repercussions for their actions.
Clearly these are people so venal, they think nothing of exploiting their own children on their way to steal our jobs and social services.
10
@Richard
Oh my, far too logical, far too humane.
2
@Richard
This is an interesting idea. The Immigration Service has traditionally detained migrants until their applications for asylum could be heard by an immigration judge. There are now so many people who are now applying for asylum that a migrant's hearing for asylum may be scheduled a year or more in the future.
Despite when the hearing is scheduled, an appeals court has ruled that minors cannot be detained for over 20 days, but that their parents can be. When the Trump Administration tried to detain parents, without their children, it led to family separations.
If those who are seeking asylum were told to wait in Mexico until their immigration hearings, and had the option of staying in a refugee camp there (operated by the UN and serviced by Doctors without Borders and other groups), then this should satisfy the courts. The children would not have to stay in the refugee camp in that their parents would have the option of deciding if their families should live in the camp or elsewhere in Mexico.
We are now admitting 90% of all Central Americans who ask for asylum into the U.S. to await their hearings, even though judges are finding that only 10 to 15% of them qualify for asylum. Once admitted to our country, few leave ... including those with final deportation orders.
Rather than admitting 90% of asylum applicants, we could ask the UN to set up a refugee camp for them in Mexico where they could wait until their hearings.
1
Someone needs to tell the leading candidates that they won the house in part, because people were offended that the Republicans tried to take away 30 million peoples health insurance and promised to substitute an unknown, probably make believe, insurance. Mr Booker joined the others, in proposing to outlaw private insurance and substitute Medicare for all, a program that only retirees understand, and generally agree that it is superior to private insurance. How about generating a desire for the program with the public before shoving it down their throats.
How many of the people, who have trouble paying their own medical bills, after the deductibles and drug costs start piling up, are going to vote for someone who wants to increase their own taxes to give undocumented people free medical care, even if the proposals have a sound humanitarian and health basis.
The goal is to win an election, not to sound like the noblest, candidate in town, and not to disparage the choices that were made 35 or 40 years ago, in the name of today's ideological purity. How many people believe that Mr Booker was truly hurt by the mention of 2 racist senators names, who like it or not were senate powerhouses in those days.
The impression that people got from the 2 days was of a party on an ideological binge.
Stop appealing to the 2% of young voters, who barely come out to vote anyway, and start appealing to the majority of Americans , who will actually cast votes in the next election.
40
I pay $70 a month for an employer sponsored plan. I will pay $500 a month for essentially the same plan under Medicare. That’s what people are afraid of.
3
@Rainy Night
Medicare is the BEST insurance I ever had. I had a very good employer based insurance plan and now that I retired , I pay virtually nothing for my Medicare. Drug prices are the rub and that's where most medicare recipients feel it most.
Yes there are co-pays with medicare, but if a dr. accepts Medicare, the MOST he can charge is 10% over the Medicare price, which probably is too low to sustain quality care in this country.
You will NOT pay $500 a month for essentially the same care as you are getting with your employer based insurance.
2
Why won’t Booker or any other candidate tell Americans how much money it’s going to cost allowing millions and millions of immigrants to enter the country? How about how many people are already here illegally, and the cost to assimilate them? I, for one, am against offering benefits to current and future people here illegally that Americans currently don’t get. Someone better start looking at the cost of all the proposals being offered to get elected. Does anyone care if these programs ever get passed how much they will cost? Tell me where the money will come from? A border wall we supposedly can’t afford is less than 1% of the proposals being made.
27
I don't understand: if we decriminalize illegal border crossings, why would we need any plan at all, since the problem would disappear by itself?
12
Beautiful thoughts, and from Booker's lips to God's ears. But his most important statement also reflects the current horrors of American life. "Our country must have an immigration system that reflects our values. . . . " Unfortunately, we do. Recent racial slurs and worse posted by border agents and guards are representative of the views of a large segment of the country. Unless you live in a bubble, even in the NY Metro area you here the same vulgar, racist and cruel phrases used about immigrants and other races. I can only imagine the increased prevalence of such comments in blood red states. We do have to change conditions in detention facilities and change our immigration policies. But unless we change the hearts and minds of the other half of America this greatest democratic experiment is doomed.
8
@Disillusioned: this is NOT about racism. We already have 17% of our population hispanic. We take in ONE MILLION legal immigrants each year, and most are not white but a range of black, hispanic, asian, etc.
Many border agents, guards, ICE agents are hispanic themselves.
9
@Disillusioned
Telling the truth will get you nowhere.
There is one way to stop the "unauthorized immigrant worker" from being in this country. Go after the business owners who hire them. Plain and simple. I know where these workers congregate in my town to get day jobs. If there were no under-the-table jobs there would be no one coming for those jobs. However, this doesn't seem to be what lawmakers want to do, so the cycle will never end. Please remember, most who are undocumented overstay their visas.
41
@KAL I wonder how many US citizens would take a job working the fields in this country. Conversely if US citizens found themselves in oppressive economic conditions and fled the country to live elsewhere why would they return.
I am not for open borders, but there must be a balance that is presently not in place.
1
@KAL
Definitely agree on going after employers.
The Trump Administration has taken the first step of issuing Social Security Non Match Letters. These letters alert businesses to discrepancies between the SS#'s of employees on tax documents and SS#'s/names on file with the government.
The next step will be a wave of I-9 immigration audits. At that point, if employers haven't acted on and resolved the SS# discrepancies, they will be fined.
It won't catch all employers of illegal workers, but should catch most.
3
@Paul
So we hate, exploit, cage the people we “need.” We also help sustain the criminal conditions in Central American countries and Mexico by using drugs upon which those countries economically rely.
Legalize drugs, rationalize immigration. Orderly borders not OPEN borders. More immigration judges. Quicker asylum hearings.
1
Booker gives a press conference and a policy paper to capitalize on the interest raised by real congress persons visiting real asylum seekers. What a counter-productive distraction.
1
I hope the plan would insure psychological evaluations for anyone hired as a border patrol agent. The reports of such unacceptable commentary on facebook by some of them should get them fired immeditaely. Agents who advise women to drink from toilets and who joke about the death of a child are not fit to be called Americans, much less guard our borders.
12
My ancestors came to America during the Irish potato famine, under trump’s current policies my ancestors would have been sent back to Ireland to slowly starve to death. This country was built by immigrants, defended by immigrants, and made great by immigrants.
13
The Democrats are trying their best to bring about the ruin of the country.
22
Prioritizing illegal immigrants and their welfare over every other problem facing the US - as though Americans need to put aside their silly little concerns over issues like health care, education, stagnant wages, crumbling infrastructure, global warming, endless wars, a colossal Pentagon budget and a million other things. Illegal immigrants come first. Period. Got it, Democrats.
48
@mpound Actually it is what Repubs have only seized upon in what they Think is a major spin win for them.
If you are going to bring up all those other things, then why have the Repubs not done ANYTHING about them except maybe deny, obfuscate and lie about, then I would caution you about those living in glass houses throwing heavy stones in a pointed fashion: We see the real fracture lines, and they are not Democratic in nature.
Just has to be a political winner for Congressman Booker!
1
Oh boy, here we go with another 4 years of a trump administration.... my apologies but many of us on the center also expect immigration reform NOT open borders
64
Show me where he proposed open borders? Also, he won’t be the nominee, so your worries are unfounded.
The American public, and not only Trump/GOP supporters, are sick and tired of shading tears to the disaster illegal immigrants bring on themselves. Find ways to more efficiently close the boarder, and if illegals have breached catch them and swiftly release on the South side of the American boarder. Thus would stop illegals suffering. There are too many poor American children that need to be taken careThis idealized liberal fantasy of opening boarders and absorbing illegals is merely a utopic wish. Cory Booker is part of this lunatic approach and embraces it to pay homage to her base. God forbid him becoming president, he will say and do anything to please his far left liberal base.
26
The humiliating conditions at migrant detention facilities — together with the dehumanizing language that some Border Patrol agents use to describe migrants — signify that the US reached a point of moral reckoning. We are closer to the historical pattern of genocide than we care to admit. The Nazis spoke of the Jews as untermenschen — subhuman. According to ProPublica’s investigation, the Border Patrol agents’ Facebook group employs the same descriptor — “subhuman” — to migrants. As the US rounds up migrants into detention camps, to sleep on concrete floors, denied of basic hygiene, separated from their children, we must confront the implication: this is not historical coincidence. This is archetype.
10
In other words, a free pass for illegal aliens, paid for by American taxpayers to reward outright criminal activity. Is Booker insane, or is just trying to out-left the other Democrat presidential candidates?
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The Democrats keep saying they are not for open borders
1: Support making immigration a civic penalty: check
2: Ending ICE: check
3: No wall: check
4: free healthcare and benefits for aliens: check
5: expanding “asylum” to such a wide degree that anyone can be included in the definition: check
How is this not open borders? What is their definition of open borders?
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@KoRnfanboy4LIFEZ none of these existed when Ellis Island was open.
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@KoRnfanboy4LIFEZ
this is all fine to them as long as the entrants register as D's.
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Who picks up the tab? The short answer is the taxpayer. At what point did legal immigration stop being the law of this land.
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American people deserve to know:
1. The names of the firms — and names of their executive staff and corporate board members — who have been contracted by the Trump Administration to provided facilities and services to migrants.
2. How much money was provided to these firms and what is their scope of service? Where are the firms located and in which Congressional Districts? What political contributions, if any, have they made?
3. What federal workers approved the contracts (specifically, what are their names, titles, compensation levels? Are their appointed officials who approved the contracts and under what circumstances were they appointed?
Time for the media and our elected leaders to put the spotlights on these people and companies? Follow the money!
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@John give it up. Business do business with people who will buy their services. Wayfair was sending mattresses to the detention facilities. If you’re so bent over the conditions, why protest the sale of goods that make living conditions more comfortable for these people?
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@John
I can give u one figure: over 700 dollars per person a day
For these ‘wonderful’ quarters. Why not put them up in a Hilton and save some money.
Keep this up and Trump wins in a landslide. Are none of these candidates reading the tea leaves on immigrants? Compassion for the needs of others does not mean priorities have flipped. If Dems are not talking loudly and often on border security. They do vie for ‘least heartless’ and border altruism. The uneasiness of many thoughtful middle Americans, moderate Americans and go along to get along Americans spells “Whoa”. There IS a problem at the border. It DOES need a strong disincentive to those who contemplate the trip. We MUST address the very real concerns of Americans who want the spigot shut down to a slow drip.
The US is big and can accommodate a steady increase in new people and families. Concern for other humans living in dire circumstances shouldn’t be a ‘liberal’ issue. But the Democrat candidates need to show every MAGA country fanboy that they are strong rule-of-law citizens of the country. Stop making it a poor-people-of-color story and start making it an everybody!-wait your-turn story.
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This will lead to Another 4 years of the Orange One, or whoever else the Reps put up. Get a grip, Dems! Think of US citizens. More heavy immigration is not going to get them off the sidewalks and out of their cars.
I really don't think people vote for Reps as much as they vote against the Dems. If they will stay home, the Dems deserve it.
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The bidding war continues. Cory Booker would 'virtually eliminate' detention of those who cross border illegally. So: No additional border barriers. Decriminalize illegal crossing. Virtually eliminate detention. Getting very close to open borders...
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Great.
Has he convinced 59 other Senators to join him?
If not..it's all happy talk..which Cory is known for.
THIS? Is not a Spartacus moment.
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The headline says: "Booker Proposes Drastic Changes to Immigration Detention System" and the text of the story also refers to Booker's proposed changes as being "drastic".
The proposed changes are substantial, and anyone with a sense of compassion would say that the changes are long overdue.
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@HJBwe don’t need this type of reform nor do we need a silly wall. What we need are reforms that a majority of Americans will support and policies that are simply political, thrown in the garbage heap where they belong.
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I am glad that Mr. Booker has clearly stated his plan, more candidates should do this. His positions are ludicrous. Let’s use for one example the “Muslim ban.” There is no a Muslim Ban, this is a term made up to manipulate emotions. There is a ban on travelers from countries who do an inadequate job of verifying who their citizens or travelers are. President Obama did the same, and no one cared. I’m perfectly happy for the US to refuse entry to people whose identity is questionable.
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There has to be some kind of middle ground. Not all immigrants are criminals and not all immigrants have legitimate asylum claims. I think that CBP, under the direction of the Trump administration, has become even more militarized, not just in equipment, but in attitudes as well. There is a very potent adversarial relationship between border crossers and the CPB that has fostered the ability to treat them as less than human. I can’t bring myself to read much about this Facebook group “I’m 10-15” because I find it very disturbing. But, Dems have to be very careful about swinging the gates wide open to so many people that are frequently economic migrants rather than true asylum seekers.
We need to address their problems in their home countries by providing birth control, encouraging democracy, helping to stave off the violence and helping to address the role of climate change in their agriculture.
We need to apply pressure to Central American countries so that asylum seekers are granted asylum in the FIRST country that they arrive in. Border crossers that are smuggling drugs or people should be punished harshly. However, until conditions change elsewhere, there is no incentive for these people to NOT take the risk. They see their lives in their native country as so untenable that they risk death to get here. And most frequently, they come and do hard laborious jobs and stay out of trouble. I don’t know the answer, but we need to figure it out.
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@M interesting you suggest solving problems in home country by providing birth control. Of course that is something else this administration did. Curtailed funding for reproductive services — if that service also provided abortion — or information about abortion. Sorry folks. That’s one of the many reasons a woman would go to a reproductive services for.
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I agree with a lot of this thoughtful assessment, but there's no way to provide birth control to these Central or South American countries because of the powerful Roman Catholic Church's teachings.
I am Christian, but not an anti-abortionist. I believe in birth control and women's rights to make decisions for their own bodies. Most women feel okay with birth control but find abortion abhorrent, an emergency-only solution.
We need much more money budgeted to create non-posh but safe, clean places for families and single folk to wait at the border, and many more judges, social workers, attorneys, nurses -- trained, capable people, not cop/soldiers -- to assess them and help them move forward to citizenship or back to their original home or somewhere else that's safe.
OR we need to work with their countries of origin to create treaties about keeping such people safe from their own tyrants if applying from within the country they wish to leave as suggested. If hopeful leavers reveal a plan to their own tyrants,often gangs running their area, we would see many deaths. These countries do not have reliable governments! The people cannot count on the safety we mostly have.
What we don't need but will probably get is more clever for-profit companies grabbing this opportunity to do start-ups providing answers, as they have already gotten into the prison system and into Medicare through the Medicare-Advantage programs.
2
Every one of the Democratic candidate seems to have flaws, which reminds of of the church bulletin board I walked passed:
ALL IMPERFECT FOLKS WELCOMED.
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Booker was quietly impressive against, let’s face it, the JV. If he does as well in the July debates , then he has a chance. Assuming that his numbers qualify him for the July debates.
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Please, no more executive orders re immigration. They have expiration dates and convolute an already convoluted policy.
If Congress could get the Civil Rights Act passed during what was an even more contentious time than this current one, it needs to get an immigration bill presented and passed.
We cannot have open borders and we cannot have fortress America. Go from there.
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@Mich, how would you expect change if the senate remains Republican? Two can play the same game.
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@MichL: but he just asked for what amounts to OPEN BORDERS -- no real penalties, a small "fine" if you cross here illegally -- NO enforcement of any existing laws -- and benefits like free health care if you DO come.
THAT IS OPEN BORDERS.
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Lovely. Let’s keep the light on that says you can make the trek and get in. What no democratic candidate will even breathe is the fact that we do need to reduce the draw to cross the Southern border, not make it easier or more attractive. There are many statements from these candidates about pouring aid into those countries to entice the people who are fleeing violence and economic catastrophe to stay home. But those efforts have largely not worked in the past.
What we need to do is change the rules for asylum. Deliver a mechanism where people can apply in their own country or one nearby rather than drag young innocent children through Mexico. Stop accepting asylum applications at the border altogether.
And, as a Democrat, who believes that health care is a right, I nearly fell off my couch when all the democratic candidates raised their hands to give free health care to illegal immigrants. That is a huge neon sign saying come on up!! That will do nothing to deter people from arriving!! We don’t provide free health care for our own citizens. How can they possibly think this will help?
As much as I detest our current POTUS, we do need a secure border. I’m not saying a wall is the answer. Change the system. And the Democrats have to stop this nonsense and recognize that we do have a country which is not a sponge with unlimited funds. Their long game of changing the voter demographic in this country needs to stop.
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The actions proposed by all of the current Democratic candidates will clearly cause the bulk of the populations of Guatemala, El Salvador, etc. to seek “asylum” in the US.
In reality, the migrants seek to enjoy the benefits they can acquire by crossing our border. This is entirely understandable and a reasonable choice on their part, i.e. who wouldn’t?
The central issue about immigration is its scale, i.e. can we absorb the flood of immigrants while maintaining the long term social services they will certainly require?
The border crisis is an example (in miniature) of the problems that we (and they) will face as they randomly flow into our cities.
Who will house, feed, employ and educate them for the remainder of their lives?
The is a finite number of jobs that are compatible with their limited skills. Worse, automation is continually shrinking this job pool.
Long term thinking is needed about this problem and none is being done...
17
@Bongo: also, the crop of Democratic contenders speak arrogantly in the middle of a huge, long-lasting boom and expansion of the economy.
It's like 2008-2014 -- just 5 years ago! -- never existed and the Great Recession is totally forgotten!
What if it happens again? all the signs are there -- overheated economy, irrational exuberance, inflated housing market -- and we have a similar (or bigger) crash putting millions out of work.
What happens THEN to 10-15 million new illegals on top of the existing 25 million (per 2018 YALE University study!) and the 10 million existing anchor babies? what happens when they can't easily find construction and food service jobs? what happens when they demand welfare or end up on the streets? or displace Americans from needed services?
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As we've seen with President Obama, a president can only do so much with executive orders until they're completely rolled back and wiped out by the next Republican president. We can't keep seesawing back and forth between four- or eight-year periods of the vulnerable being alternately protected and preyed upon. We don't just need a Democratic president; we need a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House to pass enduring laws, Democrats at all levels of state government, and an end to gerrymandering and voter suppression.
11
All this talk sounds like "open borders" and will play right into Trump's hands. It is all nothing more than a band-aid unless we devise a "Marshall Plan" for Central America which may take 20 years, and includes sending troops to make it safe and process immigrants there. We can afford it by repealing the tax cut, which will bankrupt us.
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@Bunkyboy7
We need a Marshall Plan for Americans. Central and South American had all their debts wiped out by many nations, including the US, to give them a fresh start. Some of them were rolling in dough just a few years ago. I remember Venezeulans bragging not too long ago. Then there are the untaxed billions already sent to their countries by their citizens living here illegally and already getting benefits.They blew their opportunities and created their own mess. So let them clean it up. Shut this nonsense down.
2
These changes don't seem that drastic to me, at least when compared to the pre-Trump status quo.
I like that Booker made the point during the debate that we need to address this migrant crisis where it begins, in Central America.
How much farther would that $4.5 billion dollars that Congress just authorized for use at the border go if it were deployed to improve conditions in Central America (assuming that climate change doesn't eventually leave the entire region completely uninhabitable) instead of going to private prisons, walls, and other such boondoggles.
How much cheaper would it be to impose draconian financial penalties on employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers at wages that undermine American labor? Who's the real criminal in that scenario?
11
Open borders and providing healthcare and education to all who wish to come to the US is the current vogue proposal of many of the Democratic candidates for POTUS.
The US Tax-payers simply cannot afford the financial costs of doing this. Given the recent GOP tax cuts that are resulting in annual $1 Trillion deficit for the present and foreseeable future, where do these candidates think the money will come from?
As a nation and as compassionate citizens, we must find a balance between what we want to do and what we can afford to do. Senator Elizabeth Warren is the only current candidate with detailed proposals AND a funding mechanism to achieve the goals. She has done the hard work while the rest are just blowing smoke.
8
I admire Senator Booker on his laudable goals regarding our current overloaded border centers- he is a smart man with a good heart. But what we also need the Democratic Party candidates to do is define immigration patterns and associated laws that they would push for if elected. Open borders right now is just not an option with millions of American-born undereducated and unemployed citizens, not even counting those living with, and dying from, opiate and other controlled substance addictions. The Democrats need to put a face on what they see as a discerning, carefully thought out borders and immigration system. This very issue has led to a slide into right wing extremism in the EU - the Democrats need to define their agenda soon in order not to allow the GOP to continue to win the hearts and minds of struggling Americans of all colors. Where’s Mayor Pete and Joe Biden on this issue as the two most centrist candidates?
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@Djr It's also not an option for educated and employed Americans who care about uneducated and unemployed Americans.
It's too bad Democrats lead with their heart and not their head.
Perhaps there's an idea or two floating around there somewhere that might practically solve this problem.
How about we go back to 1995 and ask Democrats then what the solution was to mass illegal immigration.
I bet THAT Democrat Party had some solid answers that spoke to this country's reliance on law & order to make it feasible for AntiFa protestors to use fascist tactics to beat down people they disagree with..or Fascist protestors to beat down on Marxist's they disagree with.
We've come so far....yet it can slip away in a moment when this country ends up becoming just another region that the Cartels own and control...and influence through outright bribery extortion of politicians, judges and police.
Look at all these candidates pandering for the illegal vote?
Who does that?
17
@Erica Smythe There is no proof that "illegals" vote that I've seen. Please provide if you have that. Thanks.
4
Other than discussions about walls and detention centers, do any of the candidates have plans on how to reform the path to citizenship for those people who would like to come to this country?
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@PL,
"path to citizenship for those people who would like to come to this country?"
You really mean there should be the path to citizenship for everybody who WOULD LIKE to come to this country?
8
@PL First of all, as long as there is a REpublican Party, the only people who wil have a path to American citizenship are those who came here LEGALLY, or those who go back home and get in line with all the millions of immigrants who are waiting patiently to come here LEGALLY.
Why would we reward a single person who's first act on American soil was to break out laws?
Granted..these people are going to vote Democrat 95% of the time because they like the welcome wagon you're rolled out for them..but how does that help America survive our trials and tribulations that are going to occur over the next 30 years? Do you really think these people are going to sign up to fight the Chinese or Iranians? Do you really think these people are going to support a strong America vs. following in President Obama's footsteps and making American Weak Again?
10
Oh, you can bet they do!!
1
After reading this article I think that the position Senator Booker proposes is long overdue. Former President Obama began the process, however, we chose someone who has moved in the opposite direction.
I think of my grandparents and great grandparents who entered this country through the “Eastern Border”, via Ellis Island, with the same dreams and aspirations.
Where would we be today without their hard work and inspiration?
For the good of this Country we must solve the immigration issue now!
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@Joe LeBender- it sounds as if your family's ancestors came to America as legal immigrants. As did mine and millions of others.
The "unauthorized worker" language obscures the fact that the majority of immigrants crossing the southern border are here for economic reasons and are not legal immigrants. If the nation cannot control its borders, and who enters the country, it will lose.
Our neighbor to the north, Canada has strict controls on immigration. As do the nations in the EU. Why should the US be any different?
As a life-long Democratic voter I fear the push to allow unlimited immigration, as well as provide tax-payer funded healthcare and education to all illegal immigrants will become the losing proposition in the 2020 election and virtually ensure another 4-years of Trump-McConnell control.
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The big difference between our grandparents and what’s happening today is that they came here legally with no expectations that anything would be free. They did work hard for everything they achieved in this country. Nothing was free for them.
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@Joe LeBender
When your great-grandparents entered the country, there was no medicaid, no foodstamps, no CHIP, no welfare whatsoever. There were no minimal wages and no anti-discrimination laws as it pertains to housing or employment. There were no tax-payers funded public schools. Heck, if they entered prior to 1913, there wasn't even federal income tax.
Your ancestors had to fend for themselves in every way possible, and the government was not gonna step in and help.
Can we please stop pretending that in 2019 we are still living in the same country? The America of 2019 has a much, much different social contract than the America of 1900. In a lot of ways it is a better, safer country and a more just society. It is also one that can no longer sustain open borders. Our social contract, our taxation and welfare system, is no longer compatible with unchecked immigration of unskilled and uneducated who possess nothing but a dream and 5 kids in tow. The majority of the population is saying loud and clear that they don't wish to pay for this extravaganza. Democrats would be wise to develop a meaningful immigration agenda that is designed to assuage the anxieties of the majority, not pander to a select voting block. If they don't, they may as well concede now.
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