Illegal Immigration: What should we do?

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

This is a subject I have been passionate about for the last 5+ years and having been involved in hiring illegal or supposed illegal immigrants I feel I have a pretty good insight on the subject.

I worked as a Restaurant Manager in Overland Park, KS for 3 years and let me tell you it was EXTREMELY hard to hire American workers. Johnson County is one of the wealthiest counties in the US and the kids that restaurants depend on to work during the summer aren't available because their parents are rich and so they don't have to work. So we started hiring Hispanics for these jobs and at one time 80% of my crew was Hispanic. Now alot of them had papers and SSN cards and we had a process to verify their numbers but most them admitted in private they were illegal but after a while I didn't care because I needed the help.

With that being said I believe we need to get this huge problem under control. Here is my proposal:

1. Build a high-tech fence and defend with the military. This is a National Security issue first and foremost. I like Donger's idea of 2 warning shots and then a kill shot. We needed to stop the bleeding 5 years ago.

2. STOP ALL LEGAL Immigration for 5-7 years while we get this under control.

3. DO NOT actively pursue any illegal immigrants in the US right now unless they have committed crimes other than just being illegal. If the INS or the police stumble upon illegal immigrants we will deport them.

4. Start a National ID card program.

5. Stop all government services to illegals and if they can't produce legal documents then they will be deported.

I appreciate your passion for the subject, and I must say, my intial reactions and thoughts on the subject fall not to far from yours. I just don't know that your approach will work, UNLESS we also target those businesses hiring illegal aliens with fines and punishment for future violations. Cleaning up the mess, without addressing the cause would only ensure it would happen again down the road. And that leads us back to who's gonna fill those jobs, that you, jsp, and others seem convinced that Americans apparently do not want. Because I don't know if it would fly, or even if it's wise:

1. Fence sounds good, but will it really work? Or will illegals just find a way around our very expensive "band-aid" as some suggest?

2. Stopping legal immigration for 5-7 years sounds a bit harsh....and it punishes people who've been waiting in the "legal" line for the actions of illegals. It just strikes me as, almost Anti-American....

3. Deport those illegals "found," but don't look for them? I don't understand that one, I guess...

4. National ID? I'd be for it, but that's one that will be tough to sell to many libertarian types for fear they would be misused.

5. I don't support government programs for illegals, but deportation of those who've lived here for many years and held productive jobs seems harsh.

I'm not saying there shouldn't be consequences. I'd support fines, payment of taxes they've neglected, and a rigorous naturalization process. Economically and realistically, deporting 11-12 million illegals seems unneccesary, expensive, and unwise given the potential economic fall-out that you yourself allude to.