Just as the weather is getting warmer this spring, the immigration battle has been heating up...again. I've put some thought into this issue, had some good, and not so good conversations on the topic, and have come away with some ideas.
1st off, it's just plain ridiculous to suggest the deportation on 10's of millions of people. It's not going to happen, it's logistically impossible, and we simply don't have the resources on any level, from law enforcement to actually processing and transporting them back to their country of origin.
There, the President is right. I know that a lot of conservatives are taking this hard-nosed, unwavering "send em back" position. The reasoning commonly associated with this position is that their ancestors came over "legally." And that may be true, if they came thru Ellis Island or a port of entry after a "legal" system was set in place. And if they made it all the way across the ocean without bribing anyone (which we all know was common) to get here.
But regardless, the comparison between the primarily mexican immigrants crashing the border and all of us who came from across the ocean in big, slow and easy to catch boats is simply unfair. I truly believe that when famines and hard times struck other countries, if they could cross the border as easily as the ones coming up from mexico can, they would have too. The quest for a better life is a human trait, it is natural to do whatever you can, keeping the laws of risk and reward in mind to improve one's life. The southern border is pourous, as is the northern one that brings in millions more illegal immigrants from aisa, africa, europe and elsewhere who are swallowing up white collar jobs at reduced wages. If I lived in poverty or just wanted more opportunity, I think i'd do everything I could to get here.
But the right wing will need to back off a little bit if anything is to get done. Because, as mentioned before, it is not possible to deport everyone. So, some will just need to deal with that. On the other hand, border security is where these folks can take solace. If anything is to be done on this issue, it is critical that the border is secure. If not, we have the reagan era fiasco where amnesty was granted and the mexican border remained pourous.
How this will be achieved, is still up for debate. And it seems each plan has it's pro's and cons and none will be foolproof. But I believe if we can find a consensus on a plan to reduce the flow by more than 50 or 60 percent, that would be a good start. But we have to be a little open minded here and realize that whatever the plan is, be it more of a "virtual fence" or an actual one, we need to commit to something, even if it's not exactly what we would do. If we hold the plan accountable, further adjustments and technological developments will lead to greater border security. But we have to start somewhere.
But back to the people who are already here. Yes, we do need a plan to get them "on the books" so to speak. No, amnesty is not gonna fly. And I don't believe what the President has proposed is amnesty. The path to citezenship is earned, and with penalties. Tho I question how all these poor immigrants are gonna pony up these hefty fines and back taxes. Has any thought been given to holding their employers accountable for actually paying their taxes in the 1st place? After all, if the employer never paid the tax in the 1st place, they should be held accountable 1st and foremost. Chronilogically speaking, the employer commited the 1st crime by not withholding and/or paying the tax after the first payday. The employee only broke the law after the next year's filing deadline if they didn't file.
Of course, i'm sure some employers did withold and pay the employees taxes as required by law, and their records will surely show that.
But the fines and taxes aside, the President has proposed a "seniority driven" model for ranking illegal immigrants and varying the options. I submit maybe a better way, and a more conservative friendly way, the model should be more family based than time based. Families with children under 18 living at home should have 1st dibs. And at the front of that line, ones with children who are US citizens, by being born here. That way, we would ensure the 1st people in this line are more than likely the most responible, hardworking and deeply rooted members in the community. These are also the ones requiring more social services, such as schools, hospitals and so forth. At the rear of the line would be the singles, whom would be the easiest to take back.
Of course my plan might lead to a rash of weddings, but so be it. Worse things have happened. It's also better than a rash of fraud and fraudulent documents being used to "prove" being here for a certain timeframe. Of course, if my family-friendly plan were to be implemented, when registering or whatever the process is labeled, the newly documented alien would discose his employers when living here. That will make it extremely easy and feasible to check those tax records.
So, to sum up, my immigration plan would include an immediate strengthening of our border, along with a more family-friendly system of deciding who could be 1st in earning their way to becoming a citizen of this great land. Also, I believe we need to hold all the people who broke the law by taking advantage of cheap labor that could be used and sometimes abused by unscrupulous people and companies accountable. And in the process of bringing the immigrants out of the shadows, they can facilitate it.