Immigration and "reform"

I have a neighbor that is in the United States legally - in fact, I think he's a citizen. I don't see him often - he must work 20 hours out of every 24. He lives with his family and two other families in a house less than a block from me. He has a great job, makes a good living, and is a good neighbor. I believe the other people living with him are part of his extended family. I have no idea whether they're here legally or not, and don't much care. They are productive, assimilating into the neighborhood, have great families, and are better neighbors than some I have.

That's not true of all immigrants, whether they're legal or not. Quite a number of them are criminals, others have an "entitled" attitude towards federal largess, and still others believe they can "retake" the southwestern United States for Mexico. None of this type of "immigration" is good for the United States or its citizens. A good case for calling it an invasion, rather than immigration, can be made, especially by those who back La Raza and other separatist groups. Granting these people amnesty, regardless of what it's called, would be a disaster.

There are other illegal immigrants entering the United States with even more dangerous intentions. The number of "other than Mexican" illegals being caught is steadily rising. Many of these are from the Middle East, and have harmful intent for the citizens of the United States. Others belong to drug gangs and other harmful elements like MS-13. We have enough criminals of our own, we don't need to be importing them from elsewhere.

Congress - mostly the Democratic Party - keeps wanting to repeat the mistake of the 1980s, when all illegals were given blanket amnesty, and the 1990s, when Bill Clinton "legalized" hundreds of thousands of illegals with little or not checking of their background or intent. Neither of these did anything to stop the flow of illegals into the United States - quite the opposite. The next group also expects - actually demands - equal treatment. It's time to stop repeating what failed before, and create a truly EFFECTIVE immigration policy.

The first thing Congress needs to do is to cut off the flow of illegals. Many say a fence won't work, but it's done wonders for Israel, and it's cut the flow of illegals to a trickle where fences exist. It would be expensive, but far less so than the costs of illegal immigrants continuing to flow into the United States.

The second thing that is required is to force all illegals in the United States to register with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Failure to register will be unappealable grounds for immediate eviction if discovered. Give the illegals 90 days to go to the Post Office, fill out a postcard form, and register. Aliens who register then have one year to prove that they are an asset to the United States. I discussed such an option here in April, 2006. It's time to implement it.

The third thing that needs to be done is to pass a law that states that anyone knowingly employing an illegal alien, or failing to actively pursue guaranteeing someone they hire is in the United States legally and permitted to work, forfeits their business to the Federal Government, who will then auction it off to the highest bidder. That will be sufficient incentive for businesses NOT to hire illegals. Many people may be hurt by such actions, but if enough feel the pain, hiring illegals will end.

Fourth, the United States needs to nullify the "anchor baby" laws. Only children of people in the United States legally may be considered for citizenship. That will do more to end the flood of illegals.

Finally, the United States should enact federal legislation that states that any illegal alien caught committing a crime in the United States will be forever banned from US citizenship, and that their full sentence MUST be served prior to their being deported. At least half that sentence should be forced labor maintaining the fence between the United States and Mexico, and between the United States and Canada. Yes, we need fences in both locations, although Canadians aren't anywhere the problem that Latin Americans are. The biggest reason for a fence between the United States and Canada is the flow of undocumented third-nation immigrants, especially those from the Middle East and other nations hostile to the United States.

Then, and only then, can this nation consider the "illegal alien" problem under control.