This week Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Harry Reid
(D-NV), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Charles Schumer (D-NY),
Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) and John Kerry (D-MA) introduced the
“Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011,” a bill that seeks to
fix a system that has been broken for far too long. The legislation proposes a
balance of solutions, such as enhanced enforcement measures and a mandatory
E-verify program which is paired with strategies to address the current
population of undocumented workers, improvements to regulating future flows of
legal immigration, a commission to study and regulate temporary worker
programs, as well as efforts to support the integration of immigrants into
America. 

We welcome the introduction of the Comprehensive Immigration
Reform Act of 2011, the first immigration reform bill of the 112th Congress
that proposes a framework for lasting reform. Senator Menendez and co-sponsors
should be commended for offering the country an alternative to the
enforcement-only bills proposed by immigration restrictionists. While some
politicians propose mandatory E-verify without any counter-balancing attempt to
help needed workers retain their jobs, the Menendez bill proposes a strategy
for the current population of unauthorized immigrants to get right with the
law, implementing mandatory E-verify only in the context of broader system
reforms.

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act presents Congress
with a clear choice between enforcement-only bills that squander the country’s
resources and human capital, and thoughtful, long-range legislation that puts
in place the tools for a 21st century immigration system. Members of Congress
have, thus far, provided only simplistic enforcement-only solutions and sound
bites. The Menendez bill, however, gives Congress the chance to prove that it
is willing to put good policy over political expediency, engage in a serious
and constructive debate over immigration reform, and focus on realistic
solutions rather than passing this year’s political Band-aid.