I see the solution as requiring a three-pronged approach. 1.) "Drain the swamp" by building an effective barrier, as you say, or we keep swatting mosquitos and we have to do that after #3 is addressed; 2.) apply the law to illegal *employers* who hold deportation (the threat, such as it is) over Mexicans' heads, if they don't work like mules (this is what I think they mean when they say "work Americans won't do": 'kick-backs', unpaid overtime, back-breaking, tedious work for a lot less than we would accept); and, the most difficult problem, 3.) what to do with people here who want the same things we enjoy--who want to see the show, but snuck under the tent instead of buying a ticket. The irony being, they may have paid as much or more to coyotes as our ancestors paid for boat passage.
Number three is the `rub'. Walls are a dicey proposition: Festung Europa, Maginot line, etc. But if they're still coming . . and they are! Conservatives are split over whether to say, "OK, one more time . . and that's it!" or "No, they're breaking our law. Vamoose!"
Disrespecting our sovereignty and these "demands" they're making don't help their case. May 1st I'll be wearing out my debit card. I don't like their argument.
You think fat boy from Massachusetts doesn't know all that? Of course he does, why do you think he's pushing another amnesty? He wants his legacy to be the return of the democratic party that lasts for generations to come. Now exactly what John McCain wants out of all of this I don't know, probably the same thing.
No I can't provide a link for you. During the discussion of the illegal alien issue in 2000, the figure bandied about was ten million. The idea that only 11 million are in country today is a non-starter for me. You are welcome to believe the media if you like. Even prior to 2000, the flow of illegals was estimated to be around 1 million per year. The ten million figure represents those who came over after around 1987, 88.
Remember that estimates of illegal aliens in country have been underestimated traditionally. In 1986 Reagan was promised that there were only 1 million in country. The Congress and the Senate sold the fix on that premise. Considering that small number and the promise that our border laws would be strictly enforced, Reagan signed off on the Immigration act of 1986. As soon as he did 3.5 million illegal immigrants filed to become naturalized. There are a lot of people who don't think all of the illegals signed up at that time. I'm not sure about that.
No I don't think there is a large pool of wives and kids. There is a large pool of moms, dads, brothers and sisters. If every illegal immigrant brought over only 2 people, even using your figure that would be 22 million people. That's 22 million in addition to the 11 million already here. That's 33 million in total. That' doesn't count births in the next six years (the term of guest workers). If my figure is closer to the truth, and I believe it to be, we're talking about 60 million people in total. That doesn't count births in the next five years or the continued flow of illegal immigrants.
Look, some people are not going to be eligable for work permits and other forms of access. There will still be an illegal immigrant flow. And with the promise of becoming a part of a worker program later on, like the current wave, who can blame them?
When illegals become naturalized, in six to eight years, they will have the same rights as current immigrants have. They will be able to bring over extended family members.
Let's review some news from the last year. Do you remember the Time magazine article from last year? It stated that three million illegals were coming across the border yearly now. That's a huge number. I do know that the INS (ICE or whatever the heck they call themselves these days), did admit to interdicting 900,000 in about eight months last year. Traditionally border agents have estimated they catch 5 to 15%. I don't think we had 9 million come over last year, but I do think it's quite possible we had 2 million come across. What's two million times six? That ignores what we had in country before 2000.
I don't think it's unrealistic to think there are between fifteen and thirty million illegal immigrants in this nation. I have settled on 22.5 million because I think there were ten million in the United States in 2000, and I think the flow since then has been rather briske.
I don't know for sure. Nobody does. I can only take my best guess. That's it.
Now, the President has also stated that he wants to set up a program that will allow still more foreign nationals to enter our nation on guest-worker programs. His premise was that if only we'd allow more to flow in, we wouldn't have to worry about illegal aliens. My premise is that we're being hosed as it is. We're not going to break the bank by doing this, but where going to continue to build up some massive numbers future generations will have to pay off in order to do this.
I think that is wrong an a number of levels.