Ensign leads on immigration

The U.S. Senate finally appears to understand that American citizens do not want illegal immigrants rewarded for breaking the law, and Nevada Sen. John Ensign is a big reason why.

The economic stimulus bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee last week included a measure that requires tax rebate recipients and dependent children to have valid Social Security numbers. That measure was introduced by Sen. Ensign after he pointed out that the rebate legislation, if not amended, would allow illegal immigrants working under fraudulent taxpayer identification numbers to receive checks.

“I am not sure the American taxpayer would like people who are here illegally in this country to be getting a tax rebate,” Sen. Ensign successfully argued.

The bill sailed through the committee on a bipartisan vote.

What a difference 20 months and a grass-roots uprising can make.

In May 2006, when the Senate was hurriedly shoving “comprehensive” immigration reform down the throats of an unsupportive electorate, Sen. Ensign introduced an amendment to ensure that illegals, once granted amnesty, could not receive Social Security benefits based on their years of work under stolen or bogus taxpayer identification numbers. That amendment was hotly debated before being withdrawn from consideration on a 50-49 vote.

The lawmakers who slapped down Sen. Ensign in 2006 as some kind of xenophobe thought it was perfectly reasonable to not only forgive illegals for cutting ahead of millions of other foreigners who want to work in the United States, but to put them on a path to retirement. The resulting public outrage was unlike anything Washington had experienced in years.

Thankfully, the “comprehensive” approach is dead. Its biggest supporter back then was Arizona Sen. John McCain. Would he be the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination if hadn’t repudiated his hill to die for? Certainly not.

So amid a campaign season in which candidates are sniping about who held what position when, Sen. Ensign can boast that he has consistently represented the will of the electorate in the illegal immigration debate.

Citizens want current immigration laws enforced. Citizens want America’s southern border secured. Citizens do not want illegal immigrants to receive taxpayer-funded benefits, as evidenced by statewide votes in California and Arizona.

And if Congress is going to put the federal government further into debt by handing out “rebate” checks during an economic downturn, citizens don’t want illegal immigrants getting back money they probably never paid in the first place.

After hanging tough in what looked like a losing battle, Sen. Ensign now has Congress falling in line behind him. He deserves voters’ thanks.