May. 06, 2006 - 20:10 MDT

BOTH WAYS ?

There is a lot of hoo-ha these days about immigration. An article in today's Rocky Mountian News brings out points of interest. It is by Suzanne Gamboa of The Associated Press, quoted in full:

REPORT: OTHER NATIONS' IMMIGRANT LAWS STRICTER

WASHINGTON -- "Defending the immigration bill that sparked widespread protests, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a report showing that several countries are harsher than the U.S. in their treatment of illegal immigrants."

"The Law Library of Congress' study of immigration laws in six countries found that all but Brazil have criminal penalties for illegal entry and presence within their borders."

"In four of the countries, employers can be jailed for hiring illegal immigrants."

"With all the blustery rhetoric coming from opponents about a 'harsh' and 'draconian' House bill . . . . . . I note that five out of the six countries studied -- including MEXICO -- make illegal entry and unlawful presence a criminal offense," said Sen. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis."

"The House-passed bill, written largely by Sensenbrenner, would make being in the country illegally a felony. Entering the country illegally is already a misdemeanor, and re-entering the country after being deported also is a crime."

"Illegal presence in the U.S. is currently a civil offense."

"After a series of street protests and demonstrations last month, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., pledged that illegal immigrants would not be prosecuted as felons in a final House-Senate version of the bill, if it gets that far."

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Here is the sidebar SAMPLING OF SIX:

* JAPAN Jail time for employers of illegal immigrants, criminal penalties for illegal entry and presence.

* SWITZERLAND Jail time for employers, criminal penalties for illegal entry and presence.

* SWEDEN Jail time for employers, criminal penalties for illegal entry and presence.

* EGYPT Jail time for employers, criminal penalties for illegal entry and presence.

* MEXICO CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR ILLEGAL ENTRY AND PRESENCE.

*BRAZIL NO criminal penalties, offereing amnesty to Bolivians who entered the country before August 2005.

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As noted Mexico it is a criminal offense to go into Mexico and be present there illegally. Yet the parades and so forth in our country recently are trying to impress us that there is no illegality in being here. And of course the employers (U.S. citizens of course) see nothing wrong with employing the illegals.

It seems to me that it is rather ambiguous to say the least. By rights, I think, seeing that both countries feel that illegals are subject to prosecution for criminal entry and presence that it definitely should work or am I wrong BOTH WAYS ? . . . . . . . . . . .