Watching and listening to the debte over immigration has forced me to really think about this national issue. I think it's time to hit the immigration reset button.
Here's my thoughts on the issue:
First, let’s really strengthen the borders by tripling the number of enforcement officers we have patrolling them. Don’t just catch those immigrants that want to illegally come in to the US, but those that are trying to get back home. It’s time to really lock down the border for a while. As apart of this effort, the US will create a real citizenship or work visa program that will allow immigrants to either become part of our society, or visit for a short time to make some money and leave.
Then we hit “control, alt, delete” on this issue recognizing that the US is as much at fault as the immigrants themselves. Let’s start over with a clean slate.
Next we offer amnesty to those that were able to illegally cross the border into the US. Yes, they broke the law getting here but had the US not enabled them to do so with lax immigration policy and poor enforcement they wouldn’t have taken advantage of the porous border to begin with. They have to acquire amnesty within a certain amount of time, say a month. After 30 days, anyone who doesn’t take us up on this generous offer has, in effect, admitted that they are here for criminal purposes.
Lastly, no tolerance. If you can sneak through the border illegally, you’re a felon. If you were already here and didn’t want amnesty, you’re a felon. The felony carries a minimum 5 year sentence in one of our newly constructed prisons. Instead of watching cable TV everyday, sitting in your cell, your going to do what you came to do: perform a job that an American wouldn’t perform, like picking lettuce. Only instead of the $5 an hour you would have received as a contributing member of our society, you get nothing. Well, you’ll get three meals a day and a warm bed to sleep in, but that’s it.
After you’ve served your sentence, you’ll get a nice ride, in an air conditioned bus, back to your pitiful 3rd world country where you can think about trying to sneak back.
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I say give the illegals six months to get their affairs in order, and then deport them. Force the Mexican government to cooperate on their side of the border, or we will mine our side. That ought to raise some eyebrows.
Amnesty is not an option in my opinion. We also don't have labor camps anymore. Deportation is the only and best policy to enforcing a guest worker program.
One of the sad things about having it limited to just a few years is that several of the people picking vegetables are already doing it legally.
When I lived in AZ they did a documentry on a legal group who was here picking the broccoli crop and why. One man stood out in my mind. He is a doctor in Mexico. Every year he comes to Americal picks just the broccoli crop and uses that money to support his practice the rest of the year.
A limited worker program would effectively stop his ability to treat patients in his country because they can't afford the medicines and they pay in chickens and such. It is a sad story and one of the exceptions I know, but how do we reconcile the ones who want to just come for one crop against those that want to come and work construction for three or five years or whatever?
There really are no easy answers. In principle I say deport them all and close the borders. In reality it is not that easy. It is a tricky part and as for the Republicans getting votes from the hispanic groups that is like the blacks voting Republican. Less than 8% black voted Republicn last election and less than 3% of latinos voted Republican.
I think Bush is really just not wanting to takcle the problem because of the personal friendship he has enjoyed with Vincente Fox. Nor does he want to jeapordize his brother's next run as governor of FL. These issues can be said not to be important but how else do we explain the lack of rebuttal from the bully pulpit?
Take care guys. Beth.
A friend of mine had a funny idea about controlling the border. He suggested that the US militaries use the isolated areas as practice sites for testing various ordinance and artillery.
Thank you for your time.