Real Immigration Reform

 

I am a child of illegal immigrants.  They all came before our post-World War I restrictions and none of them were happy at home.  If some of you are now shocked by immigrants coming to this country without being invited, I would remind you, so did all the others. 

               Since we are dipping our toe into a big vat of reality let’s try a plunge into the deep end.  Most of the illegal immigrants living in this country are decent people.  They are here because America offers hope, while their native countries offered only despair.  They number around 11 million.  That is a little over 3% of the entire population.  Over 8 million have jobs, pay taxes and buy American food, clothing, appliances, furniture, housing, cars, services and energy.  They are not a drag on our economy, they stimulate it. 

            Each dollar they spend creates jobs which give disposable income to other people who buy other things, keeping the economic ball rolling.  That movement, the velocity of M1, is one sign of a healthy economy. Deporting our 11 million immigrants would reduce our GDP by almost 5 trillion dollars and reduce tax revenues by 860 billion dollars.  We can’t afford to lose that much money. 

But neither can you ignore them or offer them blanket amnesty; that would reward lawlessness which promotes anarchy—just look at that sour smelling mob that invaded the Capitol on January 6th. We need to have some detailed plan to deal with this reality. 

Let’s try the following:

(1)    Children are not capable of opting for a place of residence.  I do not believe that the sins of the father should be passed down unto the sixth generation.  These kids came here because they were brought here.  The vast majority are working hard, obeying the law and trying for success.  Leave them alone.

(2)   About 66% of all adult illegal immigrants have been in this country for over a decade.  That is enough time to evaluate their intentions in coming to this country.  Are they working?  Are they paying taxes?  Are they avoiding criminal activity?  Are they educating their children?  Let them stay but delay their full citizenship (and benefits thereof) until they have worked their way from the end of the quota line to the front.

(3)   After treating the current population of illegal immigrants in a reasonable way, start dealing with laws that protect the integrity of our borders.  Frankly this is a problem that has been ignored by the Democrats because they were afraid of being seeing as racist, and by the Republicans because they are.  But there are substantive things we could do.

(4)   Set a date, close to the present but in the past, not the future, from which the new immigration rules will apply.  [That will prevent a surge of “under the wire” immigration.]

(5)   From that designated date forward, illegal immigrants found in this country or attempting to enter this country will be given due process of law, and either be sent home or allowed to stay without any hope of full citizenship.  During that time, they must work, pay taxes, obey our laws, educate their children and they can be deported for felony convictions. 

(6)   Finally, I feel that if people are happy at home they don’t leave.  Countries that are producing illegal immigrants should face the following “stick v. carrot” approach.  Each nation, from that “new rules” date onward, will have their foreign aid reduced by the same percentage that their country contributes to our illegal immigrant problem.  But that money will not disappear, it will be set aside for the time when that country gets its house in order, at which time we will use that money to build schools or hospitals or factories or provide agricultural material to enhance the livability of that country. 

Look for solutions and keep the faith.