Is the Florida Attorney General's Office of one mind when it comes to illegal aliens?
A recent op-ed co-authored by Deputy Attorney General Joe Jacquot laid out an agenda for "immigration reform." The proposals -- including a guest-worker program and an easing of rules regulating the status of migrants who marry U.S. citizens -- were framed as an effort to garner Republican support in Congress.
While the column in the Wall Street Journal focused on national issues, Jacquot's authorship raises questions in Tallahassee. Notably: Did Attorney General Bill McCollum see the piece before it was published?
AG spokeswoman Sandi Copes said, "The article was drafted to share Mr. Jacquot's views on immigration policy at a federal level and was not intended to be a discussion about Florida's immigration policy. It draws on his experience as the former chief counsel for the U.S. Senate's Immigration Subcommittee. He had discussed the points of the op-ed with the attorney general but the AG did not review any drafts before publication."
McCollum's office did not respond to questions as to whether he agreed with the article, which suggested the need for Republicans to be more flexible on border issues.
Advocating a dual-track policy to admit both unskilled and high-skilled workers, Jacquot and co-author David Rivkin Jr., a Washington-based lawyer who served in the Department of Justice under President George H.W. Bush, called for both the elimination of "burdensome paperwork" and an employer-driven system of recruitment from overseas.
While skirting Democratic Party demands for amnesty of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently in this country, Jacquot and Rivkin offered, "The best approach is a gradual and targeted legalization program that serves our economic needs."
The Jacquot-Rivlin focus on importing more workers seems badly out of step with the economic realities.
New Census Bureau data collected in March show that 13.1 million immigrants (legal and illegal) arrived in the previous 10 years, even though there was a net decline of 1 million jobs during the decade.
During the most recent period -- 2008 and 2009 -- 2.4 million new immigrants (legal and illegal) settled in the United States, even though 8.2 million jobs were lost over that span of time.
"Mr. Jacquots comments about 'jobs Americans won't do' demonstrates the disconnect many government officials have with working-class Americans," said Jack Oliver, head of Floridians for Immigration Enforcement.
"There are no jobs that Americans wont do. However, there are jobs that Americans wont do for substandard wages."
In Oliver's view, "Solving America's illegal immigration crisis is not complicated. Illegal immigrants come here for jobs, so denying them employment opportunities is the logical first step. This would reduce border traffic dramatically, freeing up our limited resources to apprehend the criminal elements that are causing chaos."
One of the most controversial proposals is Jacquot's position on marriage and immigration.
"If a U.S. citizen chooses to marry a foreigner, she shouldn't be put through the bureaucratic grinder to obtain legal status for her spouse," he writes.
Yet immigration experts say sham marriages are rampant (see "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock) and that dismantling the "bureaucratic grinder" would throw open the doors to unprecedented levels of abuse.
Jacquot was not available for comment, but his views on state policy -- whatever they may be -- will be subject to review by incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi, who, like Gov.-elect Rick Scott, supports Arizona's tough immigration enforcement law.
According to Bondi spokeswoman Kim Kirtley:
"(Jacquot) is not in a secure civil service post, but obviously Pam will be talking to everyone from current AG McCollum's team to determine the individuals who will be a good fit and are interested in staying in her administration," Kirtley said.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
