How Many Amnestied Aliens Can Dance in the Nib of a Pen?

The title of this post was inspired by indigesting one quasi-scholastic discourse too many on what “amnesty” metaphysically means. Restrictionists shout that word the way that poor, mad Andrew Sullivan shouts “Torture!”, as if it were a magical incantation that settles any argument conclusively.

About the definition of “torture”, I can see a need for scrutiny, since the real debate (pace His Andrewship) isn’t over whether the rack and the thumbscrew are acceptable methods of questioning but whether waterboarding, sleep deprivation and raucous music belong in the same odious category.

“Amnesty” is a less conclusory term. States enact “tax amnesties” with some frequency. Many bloody conflicts, including the English and American civil wars, have been followed by amnesty for all but a select few of the defeated. Post-apartheid South Africa was widely lauded for granting amnesty to officials of the old regime who gave truthful accounts of their repressive measures.

So why should “amnesty” be a debate stopper? Because the crime in question involves an especially severe degree of moral turpitude, mayhap? I don’t think that anybody on this side of outright nativism believes that.

In sober fact, the American public has no stomach for rigorous enforcement of the immigration laws. It’s easy to be a fire-breathing deportation advocate in the abstract – not so easy to turn in your neighbor’s nanny or the guy who fixes your roof. That’s a job Americans really don’t want to do.

There’s room for rational disagreement about how an overhaul of the immigration laws ought to deal with past offenses. But a level-headed consideration of practicalities is in order, not a moralistic, “never forgive, never forget” crusade.

Comments

[Mike Kriskey]

Tax amnesties are given to people who fess up and pay what they owe; the other amnesties you mention are one-time deals after unique events.

I think the problem restrictionists have with amnesty for illegal immigrants is that the effect of an amnesty every few years is no different than not having any immigration laws at all.