Disagreeing With Obama's Immigration Policy

I knew in 2007 when talking to Senator Obama's legislative director, Chris Lu, that when the senator ran for president he would probably win, that I would be supportive of the campaign and that I would have some policy disagreements with an Obama administration. One of those disagreements I knew I would have would be on energy. Another would be immigration.

Reading through some of the president's ideas on immigration reform, it all seems a little too George Bush to me. Even some reporters at the LA Times concluded the same thing. I disagree with providing a path to citizenship for those that are here illegally.  I don't, however, support deporting all illegals.  I think that task would be impossible and illogical.  But I think those that are here illegally and are arrested for other crimes they have committed while here should be deported.  I don't think we need a law that makes people of Hispanic/Mexican/brownish skin origin automatically have probable cause for police to check their citizenship.  We might as well have them wear arm bands to prove it if we are going to do that.

Immigration has always been an issue in America.  Right now, I think more focus should be applied to the businesses and corporations that are recruiting, hiring, and transporting illegals into this country.  Meat packing plants are the worse about this. The clothing industry is a close second.  Large fines don't seem to be doing the trick. Jail time, larger fines and more law enforcement applied in this direction rather than only border patrol I feel would help dramatically.  But a pathway to citizenship for those that had no regard for our laws in the first place only invites another generation to ignore our already liberal immigration policies.

*Update:

As luck would have it, a friend emails me a link to the latest statistics showing deportations have increased dramatically under the Obama administration.  The new administration has deported more illegals in 17 months than the Bush administration did in his first four years combined.