A nonpartisan group, The Real Arizona Coalition, announced yesterday Arizona’s S.A.N.E. solution to federal immigration reform to address the needs of a 21st century economy. Coalition member, Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, said the proposal is not about repealing any of Arizona’s laws addressing the impact of illegal immigration.
“It is, however, about the inextricable links between the need to secure the border, account for individuals in the country without lawful authority, reform the visa system, and engage all levels of government for continued enforcement through a sensible approach,” Montgomery said.
For more than two years, Real Arizona Coalition members and state leaders have met regularly to exchange ideas to give shape to a platform on federal immigration reform.
They reached broad consensus called the S.A.N.E. Solution to Federal Immigration Reform. The group says “It is a platform based principally on respecting and acknowledging the contributions of the approximate 11 million immigrants here now without lawful authority, an understanding that many businesses and industries presently rely on this existing undocumented immigrant labor force, and the recognition that the continued and ongoing commercial and labor interests of state and national businesses require a rational and pragmatic immigration policy going forward. The S.A.N.E. platform is a starting point for a reasoned and balanced approach to addressing the shortcomings of America’s broken immigration system.”
S.A.N.E. is an acronym that establishes a framework for policymakers to concurrently address multiple aspects of immigration reform:
Secure our sovereign borders
Account for everyone in the U.S. without lawful authority
Necessary bureaucratic reforms
Engage all levels of government