Michael Chertoff on the Dead Immigration Bill

WorldNetDaily reported today on Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff's comments about the immigration bill. He's not too pleased.

Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff is blasting the U.S. Senate for failing to pass an immigration bill, and claims the federal government doesn't have the ability to enforce laws when it comes to illegals working in America.

"We're going to continue to enforce the law. It's going to be tough," Michael Chertoff said. "We don't really have the ability to enforce the law with respect to illegal work in this country in a way that's truly effective."

Chertoff said Senate opponents deprived his department of the ability to ensure stricter enforcement by requiring companies to enter in a system to check their employees' work status.

"That would be the single greatest additional weapon we could use if we're serious about tackling this problem," he said. "I wish we had some of the tools that were left on the floor of the Senate when they abandoned the bill last week, but we will do what we have to do with the resources we have at our disposal."

He is absolutely right in that one detail, but he's wrong that the immigration-fiasco legislation was the right vehicle.

One of the tools that our country needs is "the ability to ensure stricter enforcement by requiring companies to enter in a system to check their employees' work status." Chertoff calls it "the single greatest additional weapon we could use."

But we don't need to legalize 12 million illegal aliens to get that weapon. Congress can draft a bill that only does this one thing: requires employers to check their employees' work status. They should include penalties as well--stiff ones--for non-compliance.

Last year, Congress passed a bill that called for building over 700 miles of border fence. They should get it done. On our side of the border, please.

Build the fence.

Secure the border.

Punish employers of illegals.

Process the legal immigrants.

When these four things are in place and functioning, then we can talk about what to do next.