Here are some simple truths:
Throughout history; poor hungry people rebel. Sometimes this means protests. Sometimes this means violence. Sometimes this even means, gasp, trespassing.
Security:
Truth: If every Mexican who can pass a background check is allowed to come and go as they please; there is no need to sneak over our borders. Were this the case; ONLY CRIMINALS AND TERRORISTS would need to do so. There can be no doubt that Border Patrol would be more effective against thousands of illegal border crossing attempts than they are against millions. This
is the simple truth.
Amnesty/Reform:
If the purpose of Amnesty/Reform is to remove the inherent danger in having undocumented workers pervading our country: then the single most important consideration has to be producing a plan that will actually work. This is the barest of common sense, but it seems WAY too many people don't get it. 12 to 20 million people will gladly show up at their local Sheriff's office in exchange for Amnesty. Scarce few, if any, will show up at their local Sheriff's office in exchange for Deportation. Every measure in between will reduce the number of people who show up
hence; every measure in-between reduces the effectiveness of Amnesty/Reform. This is the simple truth.
In both areas of concern, the more liberal policy of reduced restriction reduces the chances of ex-convicts and terrorists running amuck. This means that those who oppose the measure on account of National Security are misguided, lying, or simply wrong. Z visa's for everyone who just wishes to work is a laudable part of the plan. $1,000 fine for simple trespassing seems a little steep to me, but it's reasonable, and shouldn't affect the effectiveness of the plan, providing it isn't required up front. A path of 8 years to citizenship through Green Card, including an additional $4,000 fine and a requirement to learn English, strikes me as quite reasonable as well.
So here we see 4 figure financial punishments for the misdemeanor trespassing offenses. That's neither excessive nor a "free pass". It should satisfy those who wish to see consequences for illegal actions, as well as those who don't want to see excessive consequences for understandable actions. Security-wise; this is the most logical plan.
The Future:
It seems concerns over future offenses is a major point of dispute. Gambling, Drugs, Alcohol, Prostitution, and "Border Crossing for work" are all very similar in that there is a very very simple way to eliminate the vast majority of the crime. 90+ percent of these crimes can be eliminated simply by regulating legal procedures for the acts themselves.
Anyone whose head isn't thoroughly buried in the sand knows that some people will naturally wish (or at least be willing) to relocate to where there is a better opportunity for themselves and their families. Denying this is simple denial, nothing more. If you don't want them to do it illegally, the most obviously effective solution is to allow them to do it legally. No rocket science and no further tolerance of "illegal" behavior is asked for or necessary.
So, now we've solved the problem of "illegal" immigration, Security is the next thing to address. By all means; increase the border patrol agents, and lower the threshold of tolerance and strengthen the rules of engagement, if you wish. No longer should there be basically innocent people sneaking through, so it is now quite reasonable to assume those that do are threats
and deal with them accordingly. Same goes for employers. No longer is there any justification, moral or otherwise, to hire, house, or otherwise assist undocumented people in any way. Party to the crime of whatever crime these people commit strikes me as reasonable, and would likely prove extremely effective. Do expect a brief increase in reported crime from those who no longer have another avenue of survival. Please bigots, try not to blame the law abiding majority of immigrants for this inevitability.
What I've just laid out is a quite simple, reasonable and effective plan that will remove the National Security Threat from the immigration debate, more effectively than ANY OTHER reasonable plan.
For all of those indignantly proclaiming they are not against
LEGAL immigration; this plan should satisfy them, no? Unless of course they are only using that as a cop out, so they don't have to admit they are actually, VERY against immigration in general, if it means the million or so people crossing our borders
could do so
legally.
Ya, but what if millions of people come every year? So what? This is a recipe for growth, not stagnation. Let's examine our population growth for the last half century, shall we:
Our population has doubled since 1950 and we are that much better off and more powerful for it. Let's watch it grow
Between
1950 and 1960 = 18.5% growth
1960 and 1970 = 13.4%
1970 and 1980 = 11.4%
1980 and 1990 = 9.8%
1990 and 2000 = 13.2%
This means our average population growth for the last half a century is around 13.26%. By today's population, that means we should expect our population to increase by some 40,000,000 people in the next decade. A few million here or there isn't going to hurt us. I believe they are going to come regardless, so you may as well regulate out the criminals and terrorists by allowing the law-abiding to come freely. This should reduce the burden on border patrol immensely. I'm sure all of you who are ONLY against "illegal" immigration will agree with me
unless of course you're bigots, liars or too friggin stupid to recognize the truth. :wink:
