What a mess this is. Not just in the US but worldwide. I am struggling to understand it and find the deeper I dig the less I comprehend the upheaval.
For this blog I will focus primarily on US immigration as I am most familiar with it and live in the US. That said lets not be myopic, the rest of the world is struggling with it also. Europe Asia and even the Middle East.
I assume no one will argue with me that the US has the most liberal and easy immigration policy in the world? Ha! I bet many will. The reality is we really do have a very open policy. Add to this that we do not even enforce most of the immigration laws we have and you can quickly see the quagmire we face.
So while America is a melting pot and has been a socially integrated society since its inception we now face some realities that must be addressed. I think we can all agree that no country can have a completely open immigration policy. No country could exist if it just opened its borders and let anyone in at anytime. To me the reasons seem apparent but let me state some just incase.
First would be physical space. Some countries are small geographically and just don't have the room for explosive growth. Second there are economic challenges. If everyone can come into a country how do we know they will be productive members of that society? And if they are not how can that country support unlimited numbers of them? How could a country segregate those immigatnts that are non productive and withhold social services? Would that be moral?
Then there is safety. If a country just lets everyone in with no screeneing are they not guaranteed to pull in an undesirable criminal element? What about becoming a terrorist haven or a safe haven to escape legal prosecution? How can any nation provide safety to its citzens with totally open borders?
These are just a smattering of some of the immigration questions we must answer. I find it interesting that debate in the US has turned so emotional and political that we are ignoring most of these questions. Why?
Instead we have a political battle that has become nothing short of ridiculous. Here are a few things to consider. The fight is myopically focused on "the wall". This is so stupid and childish. Yes we should have barriers on our borders as most have around their homes or businesses. "The wall" actually entails many pieces - walls, fences, barriers, electronic surveillance, border guards and more. Here is the funny part of all this. In 2016 Pelosi and the Democrats voted to spend $30 Billion on border security which included walls and fences. Yet today they are arguing about spending $5 billion on basically the same thing. Really?
We don't need another government shut down where innocent hard working Americans suffer. Our politicians need to compromise and get this done. Trump (not my favorite) has extended an olive branch by opening up the government. Why can't the Dems now just find a deal that includes the $5 billion and let the "wall" get done. We all know we need it so lets stop the darn posturing!
For those that try to enter the US illegally you should know - Every decision has a consequence and while no one (even Trump) wants to see families separated bad decision can and probably should lead to bad consequences. (deportation, arrest etc.) If this does not happen we are facing chaos and lawlessness which will lead to total anarchy and the end of humanity.
I am actually very progressive in my thinking about immigration as I am an immigrant. But also becauce I believe Amercias strength comes from its diversity and tolerance. That said we still need laws and rules and we must enforce them. We cannot have open borders but we can certainly encourage good productive people to come to America and help us grow and improve. At the same time we must protect our citzens and stop criminals, drugs and terrorists from entering our country. I don't think either party would disagree with this.
The fact that we have a few idiots out there saying lets open the borders is ludicrous and dangerous. The American press needs to stop giving these idiots anytime on the air. Stop reporting their stupidity.
Here is how we should proceed:
Immediate Action - before 4/15/19
For this blog I will focus primarily on US immigration as I am most familiar with it and live in the US. That said lets not be myopic, the rest of the world is struggling with it also. Europe Asia and even the Middle East.
I assume no one will argue with me that the US has the most liberal and easy immigration policy in the world? Ha! I bet many will. The reality is we really do have a very open policy. Add to this that we do not even enforce most of the immigration laws we have and you can quickly see the quagmire we face.
So while America is a melting pot and has been a socially integrated society since its inception we now face some realities that must be addressed. I think we can all agree that no country can have a completely open immigration policy. No country could exist if it just opened its borders and let anyone in at anytime. To me the reasons seem apparent but let me state some just incase.
First would be physical space. Some countries are small geographically and just don't have the room for explosive growth. Second there are economic challenges. If everyone can come into a country how do we know they will be productive members of that society? And if they are not how can that country support unlimited numbers of them? How could a country segregate those immigatnts that are non productive and withhold social services? Would that be moral?
Then there is safety. If a country just lets everyone in with no screeneing are they not guaranteed to pull in an undesirable criminal element? What about becoming a terrorist haven or a safe haven to escape legal prosecution? How can any nation provide safety to its citzens with totally open borders?
These are just a smattering of some of the immigration questions we must answer. I find it interesting that debate in the US has turned so emotional and political that we are ignoring most of these questions. Why?
Instead we have a political battle that has become nothing short of ridiculous. Here are a few things to consider. The fight is myopically focused on "the wall". This is so stupid and childish. Yes we should have barriers on our borders as most have around their homes or businesses. "The wall" actually entails many pieces - walls, fences, barriers, electronic surveillance, border guards and more. Here is the funny part of all this. In 2016 Pelosi and the Democrats voted to spend $30 Billion on border security which included walls and fences. Yet today they are arguing about spending $5 billion on basically the same thing. Really?
We don't need another government shut down where innocent hard working Americans suffer. Our politicians need to compromise and get this done. Trump (not my favorite) has extended an olive branch by opening up the government. Why can't the Dems now just find a deal that includes the $5 billion and let the "wall" get done. We all know we need it so lets stop the darn posturing!
For those that try to enter the US illegally you should know - Every decision has a consequence and while no one (even Trump) wants to see families separated bad decision can and probably should lead to bad consequences. (deportation, arrest etc.) If this does not happen we are facing chaos and lawlessness which will lead to total anarchy and the end of humanity.
I am actually very progressive in my thinking about immigration as I am an immigrant. But also becauce I believe Amercias strength comes from its diversity and tolerance. That said we still need laws and rules and we must enforce them. We cannot have open borders but we can certainly encourage good productive people to come to America and help us grow and improve. At the same time we must protect our citzens and stop criminals, drugs and terrorists from entering our country. I don't think either party would disagree with this.
The fact that we have a few idiots out there saying lets open the borders is ludicrous and dangerous. The American press needs to stop giving these idiots anytime on the air. Stop reporting their stupidity.
Here is how we should proceed:
Immediate Action - before 4/15/19
- Approve building a stronger southern border - wall, surveillance, guards etc.
- Enforce our current laws till we change them
- Stop politicizing the entire thing
- Stop media coverage of the extremists - left and right
New Immigration Laws
- Give all current non criminal illegal immigrants temp US status (including dreamers)
- Allow all non criminal illegals to apply for citizenship - join the line behind legal applicants
- All temporary approved illegals must register, pay taxes and abide by our laws
- Any criminal conviction while waiting will result in deportation with no return
- No voting privileges till you become a citizen - no exceptions
- All illegals and applicants must learn English
- No temp illegal can go on welfare or any government assistance
- Secure all our borders - tell world our new rules
- Any new illegals caught will be immediately deported
- Strengthen amnesty requirements and proof thereof
- Review and revise our work and student visa programs
- Welcome all races, nationalities and religions to apply, come and be Americans legally
- Abolish all old immigration laws
Its time to stop this ridiculous political dance about immigration. It is not hard to solve and compromise on this one is easy. Stop the grandstanding and lets get on with it. We need immigrants but they must be legal so we can make the process work.
We have other critical issues to address so lets get this one over and done!
We have other critical issues to address so lets get this one over and done!