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by Carl Braun
San Diego Immigration Policy Examiner

Though it would seem unlikely that our President would introduce a controversial immigration reform strategy on the cusp of a healthcare decision in the Senate, he did indeed do that today. 

DHS Secretary Napolitano introduced a broad outline for reform during a speech to the Center for America Progress this morning. In it she cited the many advances DHS has made in securing the US Border with Mexico. One of the centerpieces of this effort is the screening of 100% of southbound rail shipments for weapons and cash. While that sounds like a good thing for Mexico the logical question is this: What percent of northbound rail shipments are "screened" and what does "screening mean? Not to sound cynical but this Administration does not have a good record when it comes to spin and telling the absolute truth. The President demonstrated that clearly last week with Healthcare Reform.

The plan calls for a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal aliens already in the US.  On this the administration also seems a bit out of touch. That the vast majority of Mexican illegal invaders according to a recent  Zogby Poll have no interest in becoming American Citizens and regardless would hold primary allegiance to Mexico is apparently lost on the President and Secretary Napolitano. 

The White House also believes a temporary worker program will decrease the flow of illegal aliens heading north. Again, a fact unsupported by a Pew Study. His plan will provide for a temporary worker program and what a  Mexican media report calls an establishment of: 

“…guidelines for a migration plan that will end the criminalization of undocumented immigrants, to give a more humane treatment and tone to the immigration rules in order to end the family separation.” (roughly translated).

Also contained in the proposed measures is the continued construction in some form of border barriers or fences and the use of virtual fences along the Mexican line.

The Secretary’s speech, while citing the many successes necessary for the consideration of broad immigration reform neglected to mention that her agency has only secured about 10% of the nation’s borders.

The speech provides early insight into the administration’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform strategy. They will announce that the border security measures required for reform have been met and that now is the time to finally fix our broken immigration system. That the foundational claims are only partly true, and specious at that, is apparently insignificant.