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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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A MODEST PROPOSAL “World Peace (an essay in 300 words)” was one ambitious eighth-grader’s title. This article is something like that, although not as constrained in length. The topic is nearly as big, however, for I hope to say something helpful about the immigration mess instead of just shouting into the wind. Whole books have been written on this, so I’m not too hopeful. But let’s give it a try. Illegal immigration has rattled the nation. It is affecting Mr. Bush’s popularity, and it has aroused the Congress. Illegals are demonstrating and striking. Polls consistently show that two-thirds of voters want a serious effort at controlling illegal immigration – with nearly 60% approving of deporting illegals discovered in the normal course of police duties. Mr. Bush has taken a position at odds with a large segment of the citizenry. He insists that illegals already in the country should be “normalized”, but he isn’t too concerned about border-control and internal enforcement. This angers people whose communities and jobs are affected by a large influx of illegals. A familiar mantra from the “amnesty” crowd is: “We can’t deport 12 million people”. Most Americans probably agree, so let’s stipulate that wholesale deportations won’t work. Does it follow, then, that none can be deported? Various illegal-immigrant groups want us to conclude this – as though we should give up chasing criminals simply because we can’t catch every one. It’s a fallacy that makes the “perfect” the enemy of the “acceptable”. We’re smarter than this. Accordingly, I offer a modest proposal to break the logjam. It has seven parts. For each element I include a brief rationale. 1. Sealthe borders with significantly increased personnel, enhanced tools, and revised tactics. The flood of people simply walking into the country must be stopped. We have the technology to do this. A border-fence might be helpful, but it can’t do the job any more than the Maginot Line could defend France. This has to be a serious effort, and it has to be seen to be a serious effort. Rationale: The issues here are so elementary that a child could see them. First, borders that leak like a sieve are a serious security problem in time of war. Not every walk-in wants to mow lawns. Second, unless borders are sealed, any move to legalize resident illegals will be seen as an “amnesty” by millions more wishing to immigrate – motivating a new flood of illegals. 2. Recordeach undocumented person caught entering the country. Each illegal entrant should be arrested and fined $5. His name and fingerprints would be entered in a special database developed by the FBI and adapted from their current fingerprint database. Fines would increase by $5 each time a person is caught – i.e., second time, $10; third time, $15; etc. After paying the fine, entrants will be fed, given medical treatment, and returned to Mexico. Anyone unable to pay his fine must be detained for one week (meals included) before repatriation. Detainees wanted on criminal charges in the USA would be extradited to the proper jurisdiction. Rationale: Logic dictates that some penalty should be assessed for the inconvenience caused by illegal entry, even if it is minimal. Simply sending detained illegal entrants back for another try is not helpful. Larger fines should be assessed for repeated violations. The central database is essential for tracking repeat border-crossers and criminals. 3. Regularize any resident illegal who comes forward voluntarily. By paying a modest fine – perhaps $250 (or other amount deemed appropriate) – he would receive a green card and social security number, plus a worker-visa enabling him to live and work in the country for up to 3 years (or other term specified by the Congress). At the end of that period, he could apply for US citizenship or return to his country of origin. His status would also go into the Illegals Database. Any regularized worker who goes “underground” to evade the “citizenship or out” provision would, if discovered, face immediate deportation and forfeiture of his citizenship opportunity. Rationale: This balances the country’s desire for hard-working people with the need to have its laws respected and obeyed. Illegal immigration violates the law, so it must be penalized in some reasonable way. But those who accept their responsibilities – excepting any wanted for crimes (see #5, below) – should be regularized. This provision also answers criticism that some illegals don’t want US citizenship. The punitive provisions would indicate our serious intentions. If illegals sense otherwise, a boxcar full of new laws would do no good. 4. Deport every illegal discovered during normal governmental activities. All local, municipal and state authorities, police, and school officials would be required (by federal law) to examine any person’s residency documents in the course of their normal duties, with no legal hair-splitting about “wrongful discovery” or other fine points. (Failure to comply would itself be a federal offense.) Any illegal found – regardless of how – would be detained and deported. No exceptions. His family, if in the USA, would also be deported. Every deportee’s name and fingerprints would be entered in the Illegals Data Base. A child who has United States “nativity citizenship” could remain – as a ward of the court, if under age 18. Rationale: Here is the reasonable answer to “we can’t deport 12 million people”. While dragnets and house-to-house searches would be distasteful and draconian, it is perfectly legitimate to deport any who come to the attention of the authorities in due course. This would also end the problem of illegals drawing social and medical benefits, as all officials would have to verify the status of applicants and report any who are illegal. Federal law would subsume any state or local laws (or court rulings) mandating social services for illegals. 5. Try any illegal arrested for a crime. Repatriation would not be permitted in lieu of trial. A convicted illegal would serve his sentence (including execution) in the USA. His name and fingerprints would go into the Illegals Database. At completion of his sentence, he would be deported to his country of origin, losing any chance to become a legal worker or citizen. If later rediscovered as an illegal resident, he would be imprisoned for violation of federal law. Rationale: Some criminals have had a free pass by being illegal aliens. If charged with crimes in the USA, they are often simply deported. This lets them reenter the USA to commit more crimes. In one notable case, additional murders could have been prevented had the perpetrator been tried and imprisoned for his first crime. This legal game-playing is hurting the country. 6. Crack downon employers of illegals. Any business found to be employing illegals, either on or off the books, should pay a significant fine – say $20,000 per illegal worker. The Social Security Administration would be required to flag any worker whose social security number is invalid or belongs to another person. The employer would be notified. If that worker is an illegal alien, he would be detained for immediate deportation under the protocols of item #4 (above). Rationale: The financial advantage of employing illegals must be eliminated. It’s critical to stopping the flood. Businesses won’t hire illegals if it gets too expensive. If illegals can’t find work, they will stop coming. Many are hired “off the books”, as day-laborers, at below minimum wage (often as little as $2 an hour). Walter Williams says the minimum wage should be abolished because it keeps businesses from hiring legal workers whose labor isn’t worth that pay. Maybe he’s right. But national policy should be changed by American voters and elected representatives, not by businesses who simply ignore laws they don’t like. 7. Increase legal immigration. Commission a panel of economic experts to determine how many immigrants we need each year. Give more nationalities a crack at entry than just Mexicans. Rationale: In other articles I have noted that America lacks 40 million people who were aborted over the last 33 years. Many would now be adults doing jobs for which we import labor. Experts say our legal immigration quotas are set artificially low because officials anticipate close to a million new illegal entrants every year. When that flood stops, we’ll need more legal immigrants. But there is an uglier dimension to this. I met a young Australian who very much wanted to immigrate to the USA. He said our current rules make it almost impossible for a white person to get in. Some of these regulations date from the Clinton administration. They need to go. ******* Loose ends. Obviously this proposal is not comprehensive. The issue of awarding automatic citizenship to every child born in the United States needs serious examination and debate. Citizenship should not be a “prize” won by an illegal act. This is a topic for another column. This is a time for Americans to be wise, compassionate and just. As Mr. Bush likes to say, “we are all immigrants”. All of our forbears – unless they were American Indians – came from “over there” somewhere, so we can understand outsiders’ desire for a better life. But most of our ancestors came here legally and above-board. The present situation is disruptive and unacceptable. Together, we can make it right.
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