Immigration: Up vs. Down, Not Republican vs. Democrat

National Review ^ | Feb 19 2015 | by Mark Krikorian

[TigersEye]

FYI: 40% of the 12 to 20 million illegal aliens came here legally and overstayed their visas.

So, 40% of legal aliens become illegal aliens and illegal aliens are not the problem!? LOL

[kabar]

LOL Those who overstayed their visas came here as tourists, students, temporary workers, etc. There are 1.1 million legal permanent immigrants who enter annually, They are not included in the visa overstays because they are issued green cards.

FYI. The US has over 50 million visitors a year who enter legally, So it is incorrect to say that 40% of legal aliens overstay their visas. 40% of 12 million overstayed their visas

[TigersEye]

Yes, I misread the numbers. But it would be correct to read them as saying; 60% of the illegal aliens crossed the borders illegally and the other 40% came here legally but became illegal aliens when they overstayed. But you maintain that illegal aliens are not the problem. I disagree.

[kabar]

But you maintain that illegal aliens are not the problem. I disagree.

I never said that illegal aliens are not a problem. They are, but the bigger problem is legal immigration. They are transforming this country demographically, culturally, and electorally. Unless we change our legal immigration policies, we are finished even if we stopped illegal immigration completely. Immigration, legal and illegal, drives 80% of our population growth. By 2060 non-Hispanic whites will be 43% of the population, down from 89% in 1970 and 63% in 2012.

The non-Hispanic white population is projected to peak in 2024, at 199.6 million, up from 197.8 million in 2012. Unlike other race or ethnic groups, however, its population is projected to slowly decrease, falling by nearly 20.6 million from 2024 to 2060.

Meanwhile, the Hispanic population would more than double, from 53.3 million in 2012 to 128.8 million in 2060. Consequently, by the end of the period, nearly one in three U.S. residents would be Hispanic, up from about one in six today.

[TigersEye]

They are, but the bigger problem is legal immigration.

I know what you said and that is what I disagree with.

[kabar]

We will agree to disagree. I outlined why I believe legal immigration has had and will continue to have a much more deleterious impact on this country than illegal immigration. You have yet to spell out why you seem to believe that legal immigration is seemingly not a problem.

[TigersEye]

I didn’t say that it’s not a problem.

[kabar]

Why is it a problem?

[TigersEye]

Until the border is secured and all attempts at amnesty for illegal aliens is defeated I have no interest in discussing the problem of or solutions for legal immigration.

[kabar]

Then you are missing the elephant in the room. Illegal and legal immigration are two sides of the same coin. Many of the illegal aliens are coming here to join their families in the US, many of whom are here legally.

In any event, we can only go around this tree so many times. We will just agree to disagree. Cheers.

[TigersEye]

Trying to solve everything at once is called Comprehensive Immigration Reform. That is how the left gets everything they want with the eager help of RINOs. That is why every problem that needs addressing has been legislatively stalled since 2006 when the "immigration" issue first exploded as a political issue.

I won't participate in the McCain-Democrat flustercluck called Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The first thing that needs to be addressed is border security because it is a problem that goes well beyond illegal immigration. It's a national security problem first and foremost. The second most important issue regarding illegal aliens, regardless of how they get here, are the motivations for them to stay. Entitlements being the biggest motivator and jobs being the second.

Until the following things are addressed I will not entertain any discussion about "reforming" legal immigration.

• Deport illegal aliens on contact with LE.
• Vigorously enforce the law on employers of illegal aliens.
• Build a border fence, use high-tech surveillance and fund adequate personnel to maintain security.
• Eliminate entitlements for illegal aliens.
• End the "anchor baby" policy.

Do those things and illegal aliens will deport themselves and pay for the trip.

After the majority of illegal aliens have self-deported the rest of the "immigration" problem will be an easy thing to deal with.

[kabar]

If you want a serious plan to address immigration, legal and illegal, here it is:

Principles

 Immigration to America is a privilege and not a right.

 Immigration policy is a discretionary policy.

 Immigration policy must promote the national interest.

I support a pro-immigrant, low immigration policy that contains the following elements:

 A merit-based immigration system that brings in the skills and talents to keep us competitive in the global economy;

Reduced immigration levels based on need and more closely approximating 300,000 legal immigrants a year vice the current level of 1.2 million;

 Elimination of extended chain migration, i.e., family reunification, limiting it to the nuclear family;

 Enforcement of existing immigration laws to reduce the current illegal alien population and limit future illegal immigration, i.e., attrition thru enforcement. Enforcement would include: (1) ending the job magnet; (2) increasing coordination at the federal level by eliminating barriers to information sharing among agencies; (3) leveraging state and local enforcement resources; (4) securing the border; (5) fully implementing the US-VISIT Program to track and deport visa overstays; and (6) make mandatory and improve such programs as E-Verify and 287 [g] authority to assist employers and law enforcement in identifying illegal aliens;

 Elimination of birthright citizenship;

 Elimination of the visa lottery program;

 Ensure that anyone who enters this nation illegally is not rewarded by being permitted to stay and work here, i.e., no amnesty;

 Streamline the processing and adjudication of immigration cases; and

Promote pro-immigrant measures that help newcomers assimilate and embrace the values and principles of our Founders and the Constitution.

“You cannot simultaneously have free immigration and a welfare state.”-- Milton Friedman