[Fatalis]

Employers are already required to check that their employees can be legally employeed.

No, they aren't. There is a voluntary program in place by which they can check employees, and it should be made mandatory.

Requiring that particular check may disuade some employeers, and if it's cost effective sounds like a good idea. However, it's not going to work with the companies that are already knowingly hiring these people.

Sure it will, because when they check, they and the authorities will all know that there is an illegal alien in their employ, and the atuhorities will know that the employer knows it. Convictions would be a slam dunk in that case, unlike now, where employers have plausibile deniability.

Do you really think these people are going to travel back to their own country and wait in line? You think somewhere between 8 to 12 million people are going to give up their sources of income and travel back to Mexico where they don't have any means of supporting themselves, and wait for permission to reenter the US? Do you think that they're going to risk the chance that they won't be allowed to reenter, and then have to risk the dangerous route or illegally reentering the US again?

Some will leave, and some won't. More will leave under the Tancredo plan than under the Bush plan, which rewards lawbreaking.

We don't have ther resources to round up and deport 8 to 12 million people.

Our court system can't process the inevatable appeals.

We don't have any place to hold the people while processing their deportation.

There's also the fact that if you tried rounding up that many people and forcibly removing them from the country, you'd have open revolt in some communities.

Things would get very, very ugly. People would die. Riots would destroy millions if not billions in property.

No damned kidding. That's why they need to be provided with incentives to self-deport, and negative consequences if they don't.

These people came here because there's nothing for them in Mexico. Many risked their lives in comming here. They are desperate, and telling them to trust that they can come back if they go back to Mexico where they have no job and no place to live isn't going to be comforting to them.

Their comfort is their problem. It's always inconvenient for tresspassers and squatters to have to clear out. So what?

It seems like the majority of people want this now, but as soon as people see what it really involves the backlash against the government would be amazing.

There's a lot of politicians talking tough, but very few are going to support an effective effort to remove the illegal aliens currently in the US. That means they'll talk, but nothing will happen, and the problem will get worse.

So, what possible objection do you have to implementing a program to encourage self-deportation?

[untrained skeptic]

No, they aren't. There is a voluntary program in place by which they can check employees, and it should be made mandatory. Sure they are. Whenever they hare someone they are required to get a valid Social Security number from that employee. If you have a valid SSN then you should be able to legally hold a job in the US. Fraudulent and stolen SSNs are commonly used, but any form of ID is likely going to be able to be faked. Sure it will, because when they check, they and the authorities will all know that there is an illegal alien in their employ, and the atuhorities will know that the employer knows it. Convictions would be a slam dunk in that case, unlike now, where employers have plausibile deniability. A better check will disuade some employers from looking the other way when they are suspicious of the ID. However, a large percentage of the illegals are employed by employers that are aware they are illegal and don't care, and merely cover up that fact. Right now they cover it up by using a stolen SSN or paying them off the books. If a better check is used, they'll have to use better fake identification, or pay more of them off the books. It catches more and disuades more. It's likely a good idea, but it's not enough to have a large scale effect. Some will leave, and some won't. More will leave under the Tancredo plan than under the Bush plan, which rewards lawbreaking. Why would they leave voluntarily when they have nothing to go back to. Leaving takes away their livlihood. I like Tancrendo's plan with te exception of requiring all illegals currently in the US to return home. I just don't think there's a realistic chance of it working with that stipulation. No damned kidding. That's why they need to be provided with incentives to self-deport, and negative consequences if they don't. What kind of incentives can we offer for them to leave? The only thing we could really offer is a quick return as a guest worker, while barring them if we catch them here illegally. I doubt we'll have the resources to quickly process applications for guest worker status, so it's would likely be a false promise, but even if we did what's the point. If we're just going to offer to let them return quickly, why are we having them leave? We'd just be doing it for the symbolic purpose of saying we didn't reward them. If you can think of other things we can offer them to return and wait to be given legal permission to return I'd like to hear them. I just don't think we have anything we can offer them that would convince them to take the risk of returning to Mexico. Their comfort is their problem. It's always inconvenient for tresspassers and squatters to have to clear out. So what? Do you really think that tossing these people out with no concern for how it effects them will fly in the US? Removing that many people who are desperate to stay would in effect take military type action on US soil. We'd have human right activists from all over the world going crazy. Support for such action in the US would dissappear almost instantly. America doesn't have the stomach for such action. It won't happen. If you know it won't happen, you need to pick a different plan. So, what possible objection do you have to implementing a program to encourage self-deportation? I have absolutely no objection to an effective program that encourages self-deportation. Show me a plan that offers illegal immigrants something that will convince them to self-deport, and I'll be happy to support it.