[Recently by Don Collins:  Justice Smith vs. Common Sense (And U.S. Senate!) On Illegal Alien Drivers Licenses]

The battle for real immigration reform is now truly joined.

The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 was introduced on Thursday, May 12^th by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA). 

Although Senators McCain and Kennedy adamantly deny that S. 1033 is an amnesty for illegal aliens, it clearly spells out a path to residency for illegal aliens—and yet more immigration.

Among the significant immigration-increase provisions of the bill are:

• A new visa category (H-5A) for 400,000 low-skill foreign workers (this cap can be adjusted upwards);

• A new temporary 6-year visa category (H-5B) for illegal aliens (and their spouses and children) already in the country;

• An amnesty for illegal aliens who apply for an H-5B visa and pay a $2,000 fine;

• A provision for the H-5A temporary workers to apply for permanent resident status after four years;

• An exemption of immediate relatives (spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens) from the annual level of 480,000 family-sponsored immigrant visas thereby providing additional visas to the family preference categories.

Although supporters claim S. 1033 contains measures to increase border security, it contains virtually no such provisions.

Aside from creating a Border Security Committee and requiring a few reports, the main "enforcement" provisions are aimed at helping Mexico to control its own borders!!

But S. 1033 does require machine-readable immigration documents and creates a new electronic work authorization system that would eventually replace the current "I-9" system.

S. 1033 would also require the federal government to reimburse states for the cost of providing emergency health care to H-5A and H-5B workers—i.e. the cost will be shifted to the American taxpayer.

Companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives, H.R. 2330, by Reps. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Jim Kolbe (R-AZ).   

We might as well start by getting our definitions correct. 

No longer can the debate be denied by The Statue of Liberty Argument ("bring me your tired, etc.") and/or charges of racism against any American who asks "Why can any alien who wants to get into this country, including terrorists?"

• First, all American citizens, regardless of their color or ethnic origins,  who depend on the protection of their elected officials, now understand that the U.S. Constitution's instruction to "protect and defend" has been ignored by both parties on the immigration invasion issue.

• Second, while President Bush has just signed the REAL ID Act as part of the Iraqi war payment bill, his action was not an act of heroism, but more of convenience born of desperation.

It is a positive step, albeit only a beginning, but perhaps the first major immigration reform since 1986. 

• Third, the long-known majority of all American citizens (over 80%) who want reform finally got recognized by some formidable media sources, most notably Lou Dobbs Nightly News Hour on CNN.

• Fourth, perhaps the most significant of the many citizens' protests has been the Minutemen: volunteers who showed up on the Arizona border to point out the illegal alien daily flood to the undermanned, under-funded US Border Patrol, who don't yet have the budget needed to secure our borders. 

In July the Minute Men are going to initiate a similar operation in California, where massive numbers of newly arrived illegal aliens are talking freely about taking back California for Mexico—Reconquista!

Many elected politicians of Hispanic origin are parroting their demand, suggesting that the electoral process will soon make California a Mexican subsidiary.  I am sure more thoughtful American citizens of Hispanic origin are not pleased at the thought of transplanting to California the type of utterly corrupt, oligarchic governance exhibited by Mexico for decades.

• Fifth, American citizens know that their government has been co-opted and bought and paid for by the special interests that will now align themselves vigorously again further reform. 

The cheap labor crowd will continue to make common cause with the Hispanic lobbies such as LULAC and La Raza.  They will fight tooth and nail against the most basic and fundamental tenet in true immigration reform: Making employers ensure that their hires are here legally—and if not, make the employer fines so stiff that they will obey the law.

• Sixth, Americans are bombarded with the myth that there are jobs "Americans won't do".  But never does this phrase get accompanied by the caveat "at slave wages paid under the table or off the books." 

Farmers and food processing operations hire illegal aliens aplenty. But when you add the various scams used by other companies to import engineers and other high paying jobs that force American engineers and other professionals into unemployment or under-employment, you realize the formidable extent of the power anti-reform bloc.  

Oh, and don't forget the powerful university community which wants more foreign (full paying) students, who often displace our own kids, but brings in billions to academic coffers annually.

Presidents Bush and Fox have called the Minutemen "vigilantes." The word comes from "vigil", which the dictionary defines as "the act of keeping awake and alert".  

Let's hope enough Americans will be awake and alert enough to save their country.

Donald A. Collins [email him], is a freelance writer living in Washington DC and a former long time member of the board of FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. His views are his own.