I was going to write a comment on
this diary: In Disbelief over Dems Glee with Amnesty.... My comment title was going to be: The problem is, everyone is focused on the wrong issue.
When I realized that I was apparently writing the next Great American Novel, it occured to me that perhaps I should just diary it. I appologize in advance for one more diary on Immigration, but I preface that apology with the note that this is something new. At least I've never read anything like it on the issue. You can tell me in comments what you think.
Catch you on the flip side (for those who remember CB etiquette).
It's not becoming a US citizen that we should be focusing on, when discussing the illegal immigration issue - it's the security of the US border, in a time of international terrorism and instability.
Therefore, the main issue should be, how do we identify all incoming persons, regardless of their long-term status?
I propose that we put aside the issue of 'citizenship', and concentrate on border control and identification of all incoming persons.
The US CPB (Customs and Border Patrol) arrested 1.1 Million illegals in fiscal year 2005. Many of them most likely tried again, and succeded, in entering the US territory without the US CBP having any record of their entry.
THIS IS CRAZY. We have hundreds of thousands of US military personnel in a foreign land fighting and dying to protect America, but we are content to allow unknown millions to enter the country without any way to know who the are, why they are coming here, where they are going, or how long they intend to remain here? I repeat - THIS IS CRAZY.
I propose a unique and new idea, one intended to protect the security of US soil and US workers. I call this the Border Security Work Program (BSWP).
1. Any Mexican national, with a Mexican Visa may enter the US, persuant to the BSWP provided:
a. They are satisfactorily identified by the US CBP upon arrival
b. They identify the city they intend to visit.
2. If any BSWP visitor seeks employment within the US, they must state their intention to do so at the time they enter the US, and receive a TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) from the IRS, via the US CBP at the time of entry. They will also receive a US CBP ID card, which they must be able to produce upon request to the BSWP.
a. If they find employment with a US employer, they provide a copy of their first paystub, clearly identifying the US employer by name and address.
b. Such employment is contingent upon the employer paying at least minimum wage for such employment.
c. So long as the employment endures, they may remain in the US, persuant to check-in with the CBP at regular intervals (I suggest quarterly). If the employment ends, they have one 30-day period to find another employer, contingent upon the same inital requirements.
d. All such employment is dependent upon adherance to any and all US tax law, including payment of FICA or any state imposed wage tax in the state in which the person is employed.
e. Violation of US civil law, resulting in a felony conviction, of any nature, will be just cause for deportation, and a ban on re-entry into the US, permanently.
e. Any employer found violating wage regulations relating to the Border Security Work Program, will be fined, according to a set schedule (to be decided by the US Congress), and prohibited from future employment of such classified workers.
How does this help our current situation?
1. It immediately stops illegal immigration. If any Mexican national is allowed entry, and the opportunity to find a paying job, there is no need for illegal immigration activity.
2. It immediately provides the US Federal and State goverments with the ability to track how many persons are entering the US, which cities they are traveling to, and clearly identifies such persons.
3. By requiring ANY employment of such workers to be met, at the very least, by minimum wage standards, companies which have been using illegal immigrants to avoid paying their fair share of income tax (the 7% employers are required to pay into FICA on behalf of any employee) is eliminated.
4. To require that all such Workers provide proof of employment to remain in the US, we (The People) are assured that these people are indeed working, not receiving benefits unearned, nor becoming involved in criminal activites in order to sustain themselves.
5. These newly documented workers will no longer have to fear deportation simply because they came to the US to work.
6. The processing of such documentation will require the services of many new workers, via a large increase in the numbers of employees of the US CBP. This will give a much needed boost to the employment statistics of border states. As opposed to money spent on maintaining a huge, revolving cadre of US National Guard members, this seems to be a much better choice of how to spend our Border Securty dollars.
7. The status of those who had previously applied for US citizenship will remain as they are. No one will be 'cutting in line' on the way to becoming a US citizen. The same requirements for application would also apply to any BSWP visitor.
The downside? I can't find one. The US has returned about 4 million illegal immigrants to Mexico alone in the past five years. These numbers are continuing to climb every decade. Our federal government is apparently unable to stop this immigration from Mexico. Building a border along the entire US-Mexico border is a ridiculous suggestion, and would simply be a waste of tax dollars. There would be tunnels (they already have them, even without fences!), there would be vandalism and damage to fence on a regular basis, requiring further funds to repair and maintain it. Regardless of President Bush's recent ideas on use of the US National Guard as faux Border Patrol simply watching the border is not the answer.
So long as international terrorism and instability exist, working to clearly indentify all incoming persons must take precedent over other concerns. We can, as a nation, increase our security, allow for legally performed work by foreign nationals who are willing to travel here and obey our laws, and improve our relationship with Mexico by treating her citizens as human beings and not criminals.
Our federal and state tax collections will rise, employers may find it less trouble and less costly to NOT employ foreign nationals under this program, retaining jobs for US citizens. Our border will be secure, or at the very least, much more secure than it is today. We will not have to consider the horrendous costs of attempting to return millions of persons already living in the US, nor keep arresting, detaining and deporting millions more in the coming years.
Oh, those 8-12 million (depending on where you get your numbers from) 'illegal immigrants already here? We can phase them into the program, based on their birth year.
My perspective is that our national security is more important than deciding who is more "entitled" to be, or become, a US citizen. I'm worried about those of us who already are US citizens, and how our nation will proceed in the increasingly dangerous world that we now inhabit.
I'm sure that I've left gaping holes in my proposed program, which I am confident that Kosmopolitans of all stripes will be sure to aquaint me with, along with their own ideas on how to improve the program. I welcome each and every one!
As my favorite captain was wont to say, "Engage!"