The immigration bill that just died in the Senate was not the solution to our illegal alien problem. If anything, that bill if turned into law would have made our illegal alien problem much worse. So what should be done to combat illegal immigration?
First, almost everyone agrees that we need to improve border security. So how about a simple bill to fix that problem. It should be a bill that stands on it's own two legs and addresses one main issue, securing the border.
With that, law enforcement should be able to do their job without fear of charges that they are targeting illegal aliens, as so often happens at drunk-driving checkpoints which often catch illegal aliens, while not drunk, are unable to provide a valid drivers license or proof of insurance. To do this, Congress also needs to remove suspensions on laws, such as the one that excludes the Mexican Consulate's Matricular Consular Identity Card as a valid form of ID. The law was passed, but then suspended. Why? (The ID is so questionable that it is not even accepted in Mexico. So why is it acceptable here?) I am not saying to target and round up illegal aliens. I am just saying that when you find some, you deal with them, according to the law.
Once that is done, how about addressing the issue of legal immigration. If there is such a demand for low-skilled labor, as claimed, how about increasing the number of Green Cards available each year. Or how about introducing another type of residence permit such as a 'Blue Card', or whatever color that strikes their fancy, that permits a person to come and work but not collect unemployment, welfare, or any such benefits, as is normal in most countries for resident foreigners. This is a valid option instead of the often discussed 'temporary worker' visa which does not take into account that these workers have families and while they work here they also build roots and become part of American society. At any rate, the number of legal immigrants permitted yearly should probably be increased. The limits are already some of the most generous quotas in the world, but they nowhere nearly meet the demand. There should be some hope of legally migrating to the US, other than having to marry an American.
With increased legal immigration, American Companies that hire illegal labor need to be confronted/charged with the crimes that they are committing. There is no change in the laws that will stop employment of illegal aliens, simply because many of those jobs will not exist if they are forced onto the books. First, the employees are going to want a raise to compensate for the taxes and FICA that are being deducted from his pay. Then they employer is going to have to make contributions as well. There are many other companies that are employing illegals on the books. They are known to the IRS as the social security numbers provided are either invalid or used many times over. Some companies have hundreds of workers with problematic tax data.
Once all of these issues are addressed, then we should decide how to handle those who are living here illegally.
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