Posted on 01/07/2004 8:25:32 AM PST by Sabertooth
Well, today’s the big day, if the leaks and reports coming from the Bush Administration are true. The President is supposed to announce a new direction in America’s immigration policy that would result, among other things, in some sort of legalization for millions of the Illegal Aliens currently in our country, violating our laws. This, of course, would be nothing less than Amnesty by another name.
We’re told by handwringers and the political and media elites that there is really no workable solution to the Illegal Alien problem, so we might as well legalize them so we can get track of them. Thouughtless people on both sides of the debate jawbone about silly ideas like building a wall at the Mexican border, or house to house searches, as though they were viable solutions, or the only alternatives to Amnesty ore the status quo.
It’s disappointing, frankly. There is a great disconnect when people claim that while we can put men on the moon, or win the Cold War and the War on Terror, there is no reasonable or cost effective means of solving the Illegal Alien problem without infringing on the civil liberties of all Americans.
Nonsense, this nation is plenty capable of solving any problem we decide to solve, and poll after poll shows that the American people want the problem of Illegal Aliens solved, and that Amnesty isn’t a solution to us.
Dealing with Illegals doesn't have to be the enormous burden on resources many imagine, not would it have to infringe on civil liberties.
I've posted this on a few threads, but today seems like a good day for a revised reposting of as a stand-alone thread.
This problem is no harder to solve than wanting to solve it. We can get rid of Illegals rather effectively, by rolling up our sleeves and getting the Illegals to get rid of themselves.
The first order of business, of course, is to enforce existing laws on the books against Illegals and those who employ them. Also, politicians must be held to account when they pander otherwise.
Then...
- 1: Eliminate all mention of Section 245(i), even if expired, from the US Immigration and Naturalization Code. No more Amnesty, ever.
- 2: Get legislation through Congress that would enable States to deny goodies to Illegals, a la Prop #187.
- 3: Outlaw Mexican matricula consular IDs, and kick banks accepting them out of the FDIC. Legal depositors will withdraw from recalcitrant banks.
- 4: Beef up Border Security with manpower, resources, and a Volunteer Reserve, if necessary. No troops, and no messing with posse comitatus, this should be a civilian effort.
- 5: Beef up the immigration courts and set deportation hearings for two weeks after apprehension, with no bail.
- 6: Run sting operations at day laborer sites.
- 7: Establish two-way communication between the IRS and Border Security, and start apprehending and deporting Illegals using false SS numbers (no, the current overhyped voluntary program doesn't count).
- 8: Seize the assets of businesses knowingly hiring Illegals under the RICO Act, as they are ongoing criminal enterprises. Prosecute executives who knowingly hire Illegals.
- 9: Compile biometric information on Illegals, and declare that they will be permanently ineligible for immigration and citizenship.
- 10: If the United States declares that the above proposals against Illegals will be diligently enforced after a certain date, many Illegals will leave beforehand, and a relatively small number of well-publicized cases of enforcement throughout the Lower 48 will result in millions of Illegals deporting themselves.
- 11: End the busting of immigration caps by limiting family reunification to spouses and dependent children, and counting them against the caps when they are brought in. Require all future immigrants to declare their future intent to bring in family upon arrival. This way, families can immigrate in a controlled, orderly fashion without the current deceptions being used against the American public. We must have truth in immigration.
- 12: Outlaw anchor babies, and give the option to the Illegal parent of taking the child with them upon deportation, or putting them up for adoption.
- 13: Outlaw bilingual ballots, and resume the English-speaking requirements for citizenship.
- 14: Establish English skills as a prerequisite for future immigrants. Let's start admitting folks who will hit the ground running toward assimilation.
- 15: Shut off new immigration to nations that offer dual citizenship. Disqualify current immigrants from those nations from future American citizenship.
- 16: Make Mexico and Central America our cheap import sources of choice with tariffs on manufacturing from other sources, especially China.
- 17: In return, Mexico must open up to American investment by allowing the sale of real estate to us and guaranteeing property our rights. Getting Mexico to fix its economy is crucial.
- 18: Establish a guest worker program where an initial bond is posted by the Illegal and his employer, say $500 each, with more withheld from the Illegal's earnings, as security for his departure from the US by the specified date. Guest worker visas must be applied for in the workers' countries of origin, and participants are only eligible to be employed by their sponsoring employer. Violation of these terms will render the worker ineligible for any future visas or residence in the US. Any guest worker program can only come after anti-Illegal measures are in place. Handshake promises of future diligence will not be trusted from any politician of either party, including President Bush.
The list above is by no means comprehensive, and can be adopted piecemeal or in a single package. That said, incrementalism is probably going to be the way to go, especially politically.
These measures would provide a little carrot and lots of stick for Illegals already here to get themselves out. Some of them will need to be tested in the courts, which is another reason to adopt them piecemeal, so that an injunction against omnibus legislation can't stall the whole effort.
We ought to be looking initially at easy, politically safe legislation, like the new accounting for family reunification, Border Security/IRS cooperation, English speaking citizenship requirements, and a few others. Our politicians are a trembling, timid bunch, and need to gain a little self-confidence before they'll tackle more difficult issues.
Note a few things that aren't on my list: troops or walls on the border. I think they are a futile diversion from cost effective solutions. The best possible wall at the border is to let foreigners know that we respect our sovereignty, and they had best do the same.
Note that their are no house to house searches.
Note also that I don't call for an immigration moratorium, though others may. I think their position is within the respectable mainstream of a dialogue about immigration, and while it's possible that I might change my mind later, but I am not currently persuaded that an outright moratorium is or will be necessary.
The main problem is multimillion-strong mass of Illegals, and the secondary problem is how we currently select legal immigrants for rapid assimilation into American society. I believe my proposals adequately address both situations, but there is certainly room for debate on the back end.
Note also that I have a guest worker program that is actually honest and responsible, and not an Amnesty by another name. My program would ensure that law-abiding foreigners are background-checked before entry, rather than rewarding lawbreaking Illegals after the fact.
All of the above could be adopted while allowing politicians so-inclined to chant the "compassionate conservatism" mantra.
A few final thoughts...
My proposals will cost money and require an expansion of the federal government in certain areas. However, this expense and expansion is all well within the legitimate, Constitutional responsibilities of the federal government. There will be a greater expense initially, as we ramp up to deal with the backlog of Illegals, but a number of my proposals are at least partially self-funding. Also, success in these endeavors will eventually reduce the need for them, and as many Illegals would leave on their own. There will be future savings, it should be noted, as the population of Illegals is dwindles and their net drain on our resources is reduced.
In contrast, there would be also be an increased expense and expansion of the government if there is an Amnesty, as checking backgrounds and processing 8 to 12 million Illegals wouldn't be cheap. However, such increases and expansions would only serve to reward the lawlessness of Illegals and the cowardice of politicians, thereby encouraging more of the same in both, unless there were also enforcement proposals like mine in effect for the American Interior.
But, if we strengthened and enforced our laws consistently within our borders, then we don't need the phantom solution of Amnesty anyway.
I think they will sign up, because they have it so ingrained in their minds that they want amnesty and legality, and that's what their Latino and Mexican leaders tell them they want, but the curious thing is that it might not be in their best interest.
If they maintain their current underground status they can work tax free and continue to obtain free healthcare and welfare as it is illegal to ask them if they are illegal. If they get caught the nice social worker will say "Here are the forms let me help you fill them out." "Oh, by the way, let's get you registered as a Democrat voter and get you a free driver's lisence."
compromising photos??
he has more clout here in the U.S. He's a lame duck in Mexico.
Unnecessarily inflamatory rhetoric that could have easily been taken as bait, by a smaller person than me, as an invitation to a flame war. ;^)
To paraphrase Sabertooth, anyone that believes that walls along our borders are a good idea is "thoughtless", "silly" and merely jaw-boning.
This from the person calling for the Moderators to enforce civility on these immigration threads???
In these modern times, we now have 4 examples of walls along the borders between 2 separate countries that perform the function of reducing the problem of MASSIVE!, OUT-OF-CONTROL, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION and the movement of STOLEN MERCHANDISE, DRUGS, HITMEN, GANG-BANGERS, MEMBERS OF ORGANIZED CRIME, ALL KINDS OF SMUGGLERS, ETC..
These are the barriers, mine fields and troops along the Korean border, the wall along the Indian and Pakistan border, the wall along the Israel and Palistine border and recently the wall between East and West Germany.
The one thing all of these walls share in common is they all work now or have worked in the past, extremely well.
The unsanctioned flow of people and contraban across walls like these is slowed to a trickle. The population of one side, that is being preyed upon by the other, is protected.
Saber, your plan (actually a compilation of suggestions many FReepers have made for the past several years) is a good one, but it does nothing to address the issue of the large number of intruders crossing our borders with the single-minded intention of committing a crime or various crimes and then slipping back across the borders before they can be caught.
We'd all be better off, if these criminals had to go to greater lengths to enter and leave our country for their nefarious purposes.
Will workplace restrictions prevent the Mexican military from crossing our border and kid-napping an entire American family in the future?
No, workplace restrictions alone don't address any of these problems.
My post refers to a need along our borders for walls to prevent illegal crossings in the hundreds-of-miles wide gaps inbetween the formal border crossings. This is where the damage is being done.
There are roads along our northern border blocked by nothing but orange cones after a certain hour every evening.
The Mexican military 'don kare abow no steenkeen gringo documentation' when they cross our borders to kidnap American families or fire on Border Patrol Agents.
Of the 4 barriers between nations that have been demonstrated to work in modern times, that I mentioned, only 1 is a mined DMZ.
I never gave my preference for any of the 4 barriers I mentioned on this thread. I simply stated that they all worked and that a similar barrier along with the other proposals mentioned in this thread would work for us.
Please, try again. ;^)
Thanks, LM
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