[Mustangman]

Good points. Still, anytime enacted laws are not enforce it’s a huge problem.

[Alberta's Child]

I agree with you 100% on that point. But there are steps that can be taken parallel to any enforcement (or lack thereof) that can help offset the costs associated with illegal immigration. I've suggested that something as simple as a two-part approach to a person's legal status in the U.S. would be very effective. These two elements would be:

1. No criminal charges involving an illegal immigrant can be adjudicated in the U.S. criminal court system. An illegal alien who commits a crime is not just a "criminal" from a legal perspective, but a foreign invader. As such, these individuals should be treated as "non-uniformed combatants," and these criminal cases should come under the authority of the U.S. military.

2. No illegal immigrant has any standing in a civil court in the U.S. If legal action is brought against such a person in a civil proceeding, the illegal alien is automatically subject to a default judgement along with whatever penalties that might entail. More importantly, this would mean that no illegal alien has standing to file a civil lawsuit as a plaintiff, and therefore basically resides in this country at his or her own risk.