The large number of undocumented immigrants in the United States is a problem that was created by faulty immigration law that did not provide for; the natural flow of people to the United States for economic reasons, the demand to employ people to do work that Americans for the most part do not do, and the change from European economic immigration, which was welcomed as illustrated by the cartoon above, to largely economic immigration from the western hemisphere and else ware, which is not welcomed, which is illustrated by the photograph of a sign post found in Texas in the 1950s.
The solution is partly in place, the increase in the numbers of immigrants allowed into the United States put into law in the last few years will do much to reduce the labeling of new immigrant peoples illegal. However, more needs to be done to solve the immigration issue. Good immigration policy is at the center of this debate. The Democrats to be successful in the fall and in the future presidential election must follow a policy that gets control of this persistent political dilemma. Here are the solutions that should be presented to the American people to address this issue this election period:
1. We need to enforce the borders, not only the border between Mexico and the United States, but we need better tracking and enforcement of our laws when it comes to dealing with people who have come to the United States legally through some sort of visa provision and then violated those provisions by staying. To enforce the border between Mexico and the United States we need a much larger border patrol located at the border as well as better monitoring. For people who have entered the United States legally and then violated the terms of their visas by staying, we need swift action. Violators must be found and deported quickly.
2. Increase the number of immigrants allowed into the United States legally. The demand for immigration to the United States is disproportionately larger than the legally allowed immigration. So great is the disparity between those wanting to enter and those allowed that it has lead to the belief among potential immigrant groups that the only way to enter the United States is by illegal means. By increasing legal immigration numbers, especially legal immigration among the poorer applicants, the belief that illegal immigration is the only choice will loose much of its standing.
3. By adjusting our immigration policy to meet the underlying cause of undocumented workers we will effectively solve both businesses need for these workers and the problem of undocumented workers. The means testing for immigrants, which is the largest contributing factor to the illegal immigration problem, should be changed to allow for substantially more immigrants into the United States to fill jobs now largely employing illegal immigrants.
4. For those immigrants who are truly leaving their former lives behind them for a new life as Americans, there should be an expedited track to citizenship. This should be based on their employment success and their ability to establish themselves firmly in the middle class through their acquisition of stabilizing assets such as a home or an apartment. Making worthy candidates citizens in a timely manner would reduce the number of immigrants that officials would need to track.
5. Allow for those immigrants who entered the country when the immigration laws did not adequately address the nature of immigration to change their status from illegal to legal. To do this they must pay a fine of $100 and go through a full documentation process which includes the application for U.S. citizenship. A waiting penalty of 1 year will be assessed for those who have changed their status from over those who have applied for citizenship without having been illegal.
What we want is there to be a realignment of what can be realistically achieved with immigration policy taking into account the real pressures on people trying to immigrate to the United States. We want an immigration policy to address the natural employment demand for certain jobs not being filled by US citizens. We want the immigration process to be accessible and fair to allow for all those who wish to enter the United States to be encouraged to do so legally rather than the current policy which encourages large numbers of good people to choose to enter the United States by illegal means.
If the Democrats place these arguments before the American people it will resonate with them. The Democrats will in turn receive high marks for putting forward a practical and prudent solution. The added advantage of putting forth such a solution is that it will bring large number of people to the Democratic Party that had been leaning towards the Republicans on largely social issues. By making people, who would have been former second class Americans into fully legal citizens, the Democrats can rest assured that they will have a long and prosperous future, and not one dependent on the blunders of a well oiled Republican machine.