Compromises on Illegal Immigration

I keep discussing illegal immigration because the issue is one of the top 3 issues facing our country today. As a social and economic issue, it is the perfect example of a problem whose solution cries for compromise.

At one pole on this issue are some xenophobes who say, "Our country is full; no more immigration, period." At the other pole are those who say, "We need all the workers we can get; open up the borders and let in anybody and everybody who wants to come."

The real solution is somewhere near the (metaphorical) fence that runs somewhere between the two poles. By custom and tradition, every nation has laws regarding how many people enter the nation, for what purposes they are permitted to enter, how long they are permitted to stay, and whether are not they may become citizens.

So let's get this straight from the beginning: The big concern today is NOT about immigration. The big concern today is about people who enter the country without following the laws set forth for immigration; it is about
illegal immigration.

The people at the "let everybody in" pole on this issue want to deny the existence of the term illegal immigrants. THEY WANT TO ABOLISH IMMIGRATION LAW ENTIRELY. They insist that EVERYONE who does not share their view is a xenophobe who resides at the opposite pole. Whenever they talk about the issue, they omit the word illegal and try to cast the issue in the general term, immigration. These people live at the pole; they are unwilling to compromise. They do not offer a workable solution.

The problem is complicated by the fact that our nation has not been enforcing its immigration laws. As a result, about 12 million illegal aliens reside in our country; some have lived here for many years. Enforcement of the existing laws or, tightening them, will create undue hardship for some of these illegals. Therefore, the compromise that resolves the problem should include some consideration of the needs of these people

Fortunately, it appears that the current trend in Washington is toward a compromise. We will resume control of entry into the country. We need to do that in order to keep our citizens employed, to reduce the strain on taxpayer funded services, and, most important, to refuse entry to those who may subvert and destroy our society.

I've discussed an approach in a previous post; it is a compromise that includes the following:

1. Rigidly control entry to the country. Some will disagree with me, but I believe this requires a physical wall and/or a fence in addition to more manpower and some "high-tech" solutions.
2. Establish and enforce valid reasons for entry to the country, including but not necessarily limited to site-seeing, attending school, working on temporary jobs. Insist that aliens provide address or addresses where they can be reached during their stay, and enforce the expiration dates on the visas.
3. Penalize employers who hire aliens that have not complied with the immigration laws, that is, illegal aliens.
4. For the illegal aliens that are already in the country, set up some guidelines that will allow some of them a reasonable way to remain in the country and become citizens. Criteria can include, but need not be limited to: a minimum length of continuous residence, demonstrated compliance with all of our laws (except, of course, the one on illegal entry), payment of all back taxes, payment of a fine for breaking the immigration law, a deadline for meeting requirements of citizenship, including a knowledge of our history, laws, and language.
5. Permanently deport the illegal aliens who do not satisfy the criteria established above.

Now it's time for Congress to stop pandering to the polar extremists, and get to work on that compromise. It's not that difficult, really.