I agree with your national I.D. card. I was over 30 years on the U.S./Mexican border with the Border Patrol and the U.S. Customs Service. Since homeland security has combined Immigration/Border Patrol and Customs into the I.C.E., standards, morale and efficiency have fallen greatly.
The only good thing to come about is the disabling of the unions which hampered operations and increased operating expenses.
The government's solution to solve the I.D. problem is to require ALL U.S. citizens to present U.S. Passports upon returning from visits to adjacent Mexican cities. This is a ridiculous idea IMHO since U.S. passports have, can and are being forged and counterfeited. I have crossed recently and been advised that I will need a U.S. passport
when I return from a short visit across the border. The the absense of a U.S PP how can I prove my citizenship? A government I.D., birth certificate and etc.? Interrogation to satify the admitting officers?
What proof is required to obtain a U.S. Passport? A valid birth certificate. Which can also be acquired illegally. Passports are bulky and expensive to acquire. Formerly they were only required for travel to distant countries and locations. The visa for the country visited was stamped in the passport.
A U.S. citizen I.D.card has been issued for many years. Tightening up on these cards and insuring that they are as foolproof , as possible, makes more sense.
Having the applicant appear in person before a government agency to acquire them while presenting proof of citizenship, residency and employment, past or present and making a sworn statement makes more sense. Anyone else have any suggestions?
As a former Border Patrol agent, it's encouraging to know you agree. I just don't see any other way to sort out legals from illegals.
It would also address Sender's post...the horrid footage the nightly news would show of any round-ups or forced deportations. Under my suggestion they would simply be slowly squeeezed out by a system that only includes LEGALS. There would be no victims, simply those without the credentials to join. It's much simpler than trying to identify a population of whom we don't know who they are or where they live.
Last, I would like for Republicans to REFUSE to discuss citizenship options until AFTER Dems have agreed to solutions for the border and not before we've installed a system for determining who's legal.
PS: Dvan
Do you think a fence would work?