It is amnesty and the Washington Post fails to tell us the whole story:

Under the deal, undocumented workers who crossed into the country before Jan. 1 would be offered a temporary-residency permit while they await a new “Z Visa” that would allow them to live and work lawfully here. The head of an illegal-immigrant household would have eight years to return to his or her home country to apply for permanent legal residence for members of the household, but each Z Visa itself would be renewable indefinitely, as long as the holder passes a criminal background check, remains fully employed and pays a $5,000 fine, plus a paperwork-processing fee.

They failed to say that on the day this bill is signed into law, an estimated 9 to 12 million people will enter the workforce and be allowed to bring their spouse, children, and parents into the country legally. All they have to say is they arrived here before January 1, 2007, and apply.

The Post then reports another half truth:

To satisfy Republicans, those provisions would come in force only after the federal government implements tough new border controls and a crackdown on employers that hire illegal immigrants. Republicans are demanding 18,000 new Border Patrol agents, 370 miles of additional border fencing and an effective, electronic employee-verification system for the workplace.

The Post failed to mention that Congress only funded 2,700 of the 20,000 new border agents it authorized in 2005. In addition, those 370 miles of “additional border fencing” is actually a reduction, by about half, of the 700 miles of fencing it voted into law last year.

And these enforcement “triggers” can be waived by the President. Do you believe this President or any of the Democrat Party’s candidates for President, if elected, would not waive those triggers?

However, there is more:

A separate, temporary-worker program would be established for 400,000 migrants a year. Each temporary work visa would be good for two years and could be renewed up to three times, as long as the worker leaves the country for a year between renewals.

Within the first two years, there would be as many as 800,000 additional workers here legally, along with their families.

Think of the staggering costs that these low-income workers will impose on local, state, and federal programs such as our schools, hospitals, food stamps, and welfare.

Some allege that if an immigrant under this proposal cannot find a job, they must leave yet immigration groups will flood our courts with appeals and the proposal does not provide the enforcement agents, detention space, or transportation funding needed to remove them.

A majority in Congress and the President have not enforced the current laws or made good on their previous promises to stop the flood. Now they want to make 9 to 12 million illegal immigrants here legal with the stroke of a pen and not provide the enforcement assets to stop the next rush to the border.

According to one estimate, if the current illegal immigrants number only 9 million people, they will each receive an average of $19,000 per year in federally funded retirement benefits, over and above what they will pay into the system. The total addition cost is estimated at 2.5 trillion dollars.

If all this sounds like a bad idea, then say so by visiting Michelle Malkin’s web site and voting how you really feel.

Most importantly, remember this deal will soon come up for final votes in the House and Senate. Call, write, and email you representatives in Congress and say you will remember how they vote on this amnesty legislation during their next reelection. You do not have to even change you party affiliation to vote them out of office because every state conducts a primary.

Please demand that your representatives vote to enforce the current laws and protect our borders first.