Posted on 12/02/2015 9:53:47 AM PST by conservativejoy
The question that continues to nag at everyone in the immigration debate is what to do with the 11-12 million illegal aliens who are already in the country. (Some estimates run that number up to as many as 30 million.)
Ted Cruz outlined his approach to this problem on Hugh Hewitt's radio program on Monday night. It essentially involves voluntary self-repatriation.
Here's what Cruz said:
"Once we secure the border, you stop filling the boat that's sinking, a number of people start to go home voluntarily every year to be with their families. That population will start shrinking. After that, you deport the criminal illegal aliens. The population continues to shrink. After that, you put in place strong E-verify so those here illegally can't get jobs. The population continues to shrink. And then once we have finally demonstrated to the American people that we have secured the border, the problem's solved. It's not a promise from a politician, it's not empty words, it's been done. Then and only then, I think we should have a conversation with the American people about what we should do about whatever smaller population remains. But I don't think we should start there at the front end. We should start with border security, and that's what I'll do as president."
This emphasis on an orderly, gradual voluntary process marks his approach as dramatically different than Donald "Round 'em all up!" Trump.
I have felt from the beginning of the immigration debate that there are two fundamental steps that must be taken on immigration. The first is to build a double-layer border security fence along our entire southern border. Where such fences have in fact been built, as in the San Diego sector, they reduce illegal immigration by 90%. Fences work, which is why there is one around the White House.
Hungary has proven that border security fences work. Overwhelmed by a tsunami of illegal Muslim aliens, Hungarians hustled to erect a 109-barbed wire fence along their entire border with both Serbia and Croatia. Problem solved. Hungary went from a flood of uninvited foreigners to virtually none, almost overnight. Illegal immigration became someone else’s problem.
And let no one say we can't build this fence. We built the Empire State building in 17 months in the middle of the Great Depression. If we built that then, we can build a fence now.
The second step is to use E-Verify for everything. E-Verify to get a job, E-Verify to get subsidized housing, E-Verify to get food stamps, E-Verify to get welfare. E-Verify when someone seeks medical help at the local emergency room (they'll get medical care, and ICE will get a call), E-Verify when a child is registered for school (the child will be enrolled, and ICE will get a call).
Will it work? Of course it will. President Eisenhower launched an aggressive deportation program, "Operation Wetback," on June 17, 1954, under the direction of retired Gen. Joseph "Jumpin' Joe" Swing, a veteran of the 101st Airborne. It was designed to deal with what amounted to visa overstays, three million Mexicans who had come north for seasonal jobs in agriculture and decided not to return.
Swing sent 750 of his 1,075 agents northward on a sweep, with a goal of arresting 1,000 illegals a day. And Swing didn’t just release them at the border. He put them on trains and busses and transported them deep into the interior of Mexico. He put tens of thousands on two hired ships and sent them 500 miles south, from Port Isabel, Texas to Vera Cruz, Mexico.
By the end of July, 50,000 illegals had been arrested in two states, and – here's the point to note , 488,000 fled the country of their own volition. By September, 80,000 had been arrested in Texas, and the flood of migration was completely reversed. Somewhere between half a million and 750,000 illegals left the Lone State State all by themselves. In other words, ten times as many took themselves home as were deported.
Under Eisenhower's program, illegal immigration plunged by 95%. The problem was solved through a combination of aggressive enforcement and voluntary repatriation.
Bottom line: While Eisenhower's program would work today just as it did then, it's unnecessary. A double layer security fence and aggressive enforcement of E-Verify would work just fine to stop the flood and reverse the immigration flow immediately through self-repatriation. But there's only one way to find out for sure. A President Cruz just might be the one to show us how it's done.
Applying the measures in Cruz’s plan in the steps he sets forth makes a lot of sense.
1. Close the border.
2. Enforce laws on the books (immigration and employment).
3. Stop welfare bene’s.
The emigration then will start in earnest. We must stay the course and not let commercials of starving Mexicans sway us.
I agree it is a conservative approach to the problem which will actually solve it without causing a lot of civil unrest.
But Trump’s plan is more aggressive, more testosterone-ish. We need something less nuanced, less gradual, less practical. We need to round up all them illegals and send ‘em home in the first week of Trump’s presidency. All 20 million of them out in week one. Trump can do it, with a phone and a pen. He’s God. And he’s rich.
Of course it will work. It doesn’t have to be done in a day or a year. Cut off the inflow, enforce the law, and let the chips fall.
Do that and over time the problem solves itself. Some people get caught by police or immigration checks. Some people manage to legalize themselves. Some people go home once they realize there is nothing here for them.
The biggest thing is that, once you shut off the inflow, and the direction of flow begins to reverse itself, it becomes much easier to deal with the difficult cases, the ones that people always use to tug at your heart-strings.
If you have dealt with these people you know that there are some difficult cases, and these are the ones that people always use to convince us to do nothing. Thats a mistake; the point isn’t to do nothing, but do what is necessary and having done that, there is now room to decide what to do with people who fall into a legal Catch-22. You don’t use them to shut down all enforcement, you go after enforcement sufficient that you now have the luxury of considering the hard cases.
It’s already working. Official statistics show that more Mexicans moved out of the US ;ast year than in. That’s probably due to the bad economy.
Cut off their benefits and their access to jobs, and what reason do they have to stay here?
Ping
We saw this in action when Arizona passed their laws. It worked until Obama went after Arizona.
4. Make it illegal for a landlord to rent to an illegal.
No work. No bene’s. No place to live.
Problem will solve itself.
No more sanctuary cities. "If you're in one...the bus is coming for you.
This entitled to a hearing bit...
If you have papers...yes...if you don't...here comes the bus.
Cruz's plan won't work. It depends on illegals surrendering...and they won't.
Of you do two and three, one becomes a lot easier
You really believe those stats?
It’s a slight margin, but yes. At least, among those we can actually measure. And it proves our point. Under certain conditions, illegals and others will simply go home. The idea is to create conditions that bring that about without ruining the American economy, which is the only way “progressives” can manage to do it.
In stark contrast to Mitt Romney’s self-deportation plan
no jobs ... no money ... no free health care ... no free schools ... automatic exit ...
When I was a kid, the migrant workers in my area had to go home every 2 years I think it was. If they didn’t reapply at the right time in Mexico they would lose the ability to come to the USA for work.
One of my friends from childhood was a migrant that came with his family. During the winter they supported themselves with odd jobs and they did light assembly for various factories right in their home. I spent a lot of hours cutting felt circles and gluing them inside lens caps for binoculars at their house.
They eventually became citizens.
” Official statistics show that more Mexicans moved out of the US ;ast year than in.”
Funny....our Border Patrol says just the opposite. Maybe Obama lies.
“This emphasis on an orderly, gradual voluntary process marks his approach as dramatically different than Donald “Round ‘em all up!” Trump. “
So hope that they will break the law backwards?
I dont think so.
Are we going to hope that the ISIS goons that cross over the border make their way back as well?
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