Fair enough then - Though I firmly believe this President is leading on a issue that is a 40 year in the making problem.
He isn't simply looking for a band-aid approach to only one aspect (the border) but is looking at a full comprehensive reform that is needed not only with securing the border but with implementing a temporary workers program that must be updated! (we must be able to verify and locate those non-citizens that are in this Country) those on worker permits must return back when it comes time (the current system provides for non of this). - A large segment of the current 12 million illegals here fall into this category...they did not come here illegally (sneaked across the border)...no they were here on a temp workers permit and simply never returned home! (border security alone will not do a single thing to solve this part of the problem).
I believe GWB has the right plan (with a little tweaking from the House) on how to move forward on this issue.
Just for the record, how many of the 12 million (and their additional 18 million family members by some estimates) came here on guest worker visas as you claim? That is a big bunch of visas. How many? I frankly think that this assertion is not even close to the truth but I'm willing to examine your source. Educate me.
I see this issue a lot differently than you do. Border security is of major importance to me. Illegals in this country are not as big of an issue to me as securing the border is.
Illegals are not the only issue of an unsecure border. Smugglers are free to bring in what ever they wish to at this time. Many worry of drugs and people being smuggled in; those are major problems but my greatest fear is terrorists and their weapons being smuggled in. I have been supporting a secure border for years, I firmly believe we need to secure the border, regardless of what else may need to be done.
Illegals are a large problem, I do see that and I think many see that as an issue. Even if your main objective is to deal with illegals, the border still must be secure before any plan will work.
Most illegals that are deported return within hours or days across the insecure border. Border Patrol will tell you they catch some of the same illegals as many as 12 times. Illegals will tell you they have been caught many times before managing to elude BP and make it into this country. Any reasonable plan to deal with illegals must start with a secure border.
Let's say we implement a plan for guest workers, based on certain qualifications, like time here, job history, criminal record. Under any such plan there will be those who will refuse to apply to begin with, because they may have a good idea they will not qualify. There will also be those who apply and do not qualify. Those who do not apply or do not qualify will need to be deported. Among this group will be those that need to be deported the worst of the worst- criminals and those who are here not to work but to take advantage of our social system. The problem is if the border is not secure, deporting people has no meaning- they will simply return through the open border, just as they do now. Not only will those groups that it has been determined need to be deported be coming back, but at the same time a large number of new illegals will be arriving every day.
Without a secure border we will not solve the problem of illegal entry; we will not only not be able to enforce the new system with an open border, but we will continually have new illegals adding to the problem.
If the border were secured first, and then some sort of worker plan was implemented- then those who do not qualify could be deported and there would not be the issue of new illegals adding to the chaos.
Attempting to deal with illegals here now without securing the border first is a band aid approach. There is no way to fix the current system without being able to deport those that need to be deported and making sure they stay deported. There is no way to make sure anyone stays deported with an unsecured border.