Rep. Tom Price Outsources Immigration Law
America is no longer in charge of American immigration
laws. Huge multinational corporations have built in a loophole
by lobbying Rep. Tom Price and other members of Congress to
pass the CAFTA trade agreement.
Immigration Reform Doesn’t Begin and End at the Border
Even if Americans can finally convince Congress to
secure the borders and begin enforcing existing immigration
laws, it can all be evaded. Multinational corporations can
subvert our immigration laws to insure a steady and endless
flow of cheap, wage- lowering immigrant labor—while small
businesses have to play by the rules.
Under Tom Price’s CAFTA, a foreign country that doesn’t like
our immigration laws (or trade laws) can sue America in an
“international tribunal”. These three-member tribunals are
rigged—the foreign country names two of the “judges” while we
name only one.
Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo goes on to explain: “If an
international tribunal rules against us, Congress would then
be forced to change our immigration laws or face international
trade sanctions. These tribunals have the authority to rule
that U.S. immigration limits, visa requirements, or even
licensing requirements and zoning rules are ‘unnecessary
burdens to trade’ that act as ‘restrictions on the
supply of a service.’”
State Laws Are Also Vulnerable
Trade policies under NAFTA, CAFTA, and WTO don’t just threaten
federal trade and immigration laws. States can
lose the ability to set their own purchasing preferences if
they are found to “discriminate” against foreign companies.
For example, the following kinds of laws and policies can be
overturned by foreign tribunal courts:
- Buy Local or Buy American policies
- Laws that prohibit the off-shoring of state jobs
- Preferences for recycled content, renewable energy, and
fuel-efficient vehicles
- Disqualification of contractors based on labor, human
rights, or environmental practices
It gets worse: The state of Utah is currently being sued by
the government of Antigua and Barbuda because Utah’s gambling
regulations conflict with America's trade agreement obligation
not to discriminate against foreigners providing "recreational
services."
Amnesty for Trade Cheats
In the run-up to the CAFTA vote, Congressman Charlie Norwood
(R-GA) called CAFTA’s foreign tribunals, “Amnesty for trade
cheats, just like the same crowd’s proposals on amnesty for
illegal aliens.” Tom Price ignored that and many other
warnings. He dangled his CAFTA vote until the very end, and
then finally sold out.
Under these trade deals, Americans are forced to compete
against workers from countries with vastly inferior labor,
wage, and environmental standards. That is not “fair”
trade—not if you’re an American.
They also create a double-standard in law enforcement. A
multinational corporation accused of violating U.S.
immigration law can hide behind a stacked foreign tribunal. An
American small business accused of the same offence must
obey the law or face the penalties.
If you think one person can’t make a difference,
remember: CAFTA passed by one vote.
Join challenger John Konop in demanding that these disastrous
trade deals be renegotiated to:
- Make American law the final authority in America
- Include stronger enforcement provisions that support the
interests of working families and small businesses
Please help us get the message out by sharing this email and
by
making a donation. Thank you.
Click Below for Additional Reading:
States’ Rights vs. Free Trade, by Business Week (Utah gambling
case)
CAFTA Undermines Immigration Laws, by Congressman Tom Tancredo
CAFTA: Amnesty for Trade Cheats, by Congressman Charlie
Norwood
