What do you think would be a good solution to our immigration problems?

Question

Some people have lived here 25 years because our government let them by not enforcing our laws. What is a good solution? Should we deport anyone with criminal records but allow people who have lived here over 5 years to stay? Should we kick them all out and build a wall? What do you think would be good solutions to this complex issue?

Also, what should be done about those that help illegals? There's a business that helps illegals find jobs in Seattle that is funded by the state and city. What about business owners and etc?

Answer 1

Subject: Simple fix, what do you think?

Simple fix, what do you think?

Try this experiment.

Put a bird feeder in your yard and fill it with bird seed.

It doesn't take long before the birds learn that a free meal is in the offing. They come by the hundreds.

Now, empty the feeder. What happens? No more birds.

Take away the free medical care. Take away the free schooling. Take away the free welfare. Take away the jobs. What happens? No more illegals. WOW!! What a simple solution!
TO:usto...Amaricans do send millions of dollars to Mexico,and they are by no means as poverished as other countries.
TO:pepitoReason number four: Immigrants do the jobs Americans won't

Prior to the disastrous immigration act of 1965, there was very little immigration.

In fact, between 1925 and 1965, immigration levels were so low the number of immigrants in the country actually declined. In fact, there was even a period of net emigration out of the United States.

Yet, during that time, Americans invented computers, had a healthy labor movement, initiated the space program that put men on the moon, made great strides in civil rights and environmental legislation, built the largest economy the world has ever seen, and successfully prosecuted WWII against two great powers on two fronts simultaneously. We also got our grass cut, our meat packed. Our children were being watched, and our houses were being cleaned.

The idea that somehow we suddenly can't run a country without an endless supply of foreigners is absurd.

The falsehood repeated endlessly, that immigrants do the jobs Americans won't, is really tantamount to something like this: Imagine the owner of the local McDonald's puts a sign in the window that says: "Dishwasher wanted. $1.00 / hour." Suppose he leaves the sign in the window for a month, but no one comes in to apply for the dishwashing job. "See?" the McDonald's owner might say, "Dishwashing is a job Americans won't do. But there are a billion people in China who work for less than a dollar per hour. I need to import some cheap workers from China (or Bangladesh or Mexico)."

Then he or she will import the worker, undercut American wages, and, as a bonus, stick the taxpayer with the cost of the new worker's health care, of educating his children, and so on.

And politicians will talk about how our economy "depends" on immigrant labor.

A country should do its own work.
TO:B.K.. There is plenty of room in Yosemite National Park for a whole slew of Wal-Marts and strip malls. But is that an argument for putting them there?

Last year, the United States grew at a faster rate than China. Yet, between 1998 and 1999, Wyoming lost population. In other words, overcrowding is not a function of overall population density of the country.

In China, too, there are vast areas that are very sparsely populated. Yet the Chinese are taking extreme measures to reduce their very serious overpopulation problem. No one in China would think very much of the argument that there is no overpopulation problem in China because Xinjiang province has lots of room.

As with any question of public policy, the deciding factor should be: Is it good for the country?

In almost every major city in America, over-immigration has taken its toll, in the form of increased traffic and pollution, higher crime rates, over-crowded schools, financially exhausted hospitals and medical centers--and the list goes on. Every major environmental group is fighting the specter of urban sprawl. Does it sound like we need more people?

Given that it takes less than four years for the world to add another United States in population (net), it can be safely assumed that if we do not put the brakes on, we will end up in the same overcrowded boat out of which China is trying so desperately to climb.

Regardless of the amount of physical space we appear to have, it cannot ultimately be good for our country to continue our present reckless immigration policies.

Answer 2

Immigration is NOT the problem - legal immigrants are welcome and appreciated.

Illegal immigrants are here illegally and breaking the laws of the US.

1. Cut off all government assistance - why should a non citizen of the United States be receiving assistance in the form of medical services, food services, interpretation services, housing services or transportation services. Half the US working taxpayers do not have health care but we are paying for health care for non citizens?

2. Enforce the law - companies or employers caught hiring illegals are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Illegals caught will be deported.

3. Tighten the border

4. Require Identification that is harder to duplicate

5. Deport felons no questions asked

6. No amnesty, apply for citizenship.

By the way do not tell us how much it will cost in produce because the price will go up, it will also go down in government assistance. It may be tough at first but like the bird feeder example above, we have become the worlds doormat.

Answer 3

Deportation and a wall would not help much.

What would work is good secure ID and a computer system to track it. Right now a business has to ask for IDs for a form that is just tucked away. Good ID and businesses would have no out. Hire an illegal and you lose..... every other western country does so.

But it has already begun. Driver licenses are tightening up. Bank accounts are tightening up because of the patriot act. Now if they just get companies like Western Union to require ID to send money home that would be key. If you want to take your money home you have to get across the border and get back.

Maybe many illegals would set down roots here instead of sending the money home.

Answer 4

Yes, they all should be deported to their country of origin. The fact stands that they ARE Criminals already via overstaying their visas or the fact that they ILLEGALLY crossed the border.

The wall should be made of reinforced concrete and a foot underground. This would prevent them from going over, and there for PROTECT the USA...and no this isn't like the Berlin wall which separated a CITY...it is being realistic to a very dire problem we have right now...

Also aiming for the illegal alien employers would help too! We could do this via putting stiff fines and jail time for hiring them!

Answer 5

Rationalize immigration laws: Make it easier, and less expensive, to come to the US, and allow more immigrants in each year - expecially young adults, to help offset the 'aging' US population.

Establish a 'guest worker' program for migrant workers who only work in the US for part of the year. Give them the same protections as American workers.

Tax remittances from aliens working in the US.

Target employers for enforcement: Fines, shutdowns, asset freezes and jail time should be penalties.

Require all illegal aliens in the US to register immediately. Non-registered aliens would be subject to prompt deportation and blacklisted. Registered aliens would be allowed to remain while thier cases are reviewed, and some allowed to stay permanently, but wouldn't be allowed to aplyl for citizenship until /after/ legal aliens entering the year they registered had that opportunity, the rest would be deported after a set period of time (a number of years). Those registering after a deadline would have less time for thier cases to be reviewed, and would be more likely to be deported.

Recognize the right of deported aliens to take thier american-born minor children home with them.

Answer 6

You need two approaches, because there are two problems: existing illegals and future illegals.
Existing illegals, while they are technically breaking the law, deserve a chance to become legal. They should be able to apply for work visas at a fair price (the price Bush put on it is unreasonable). Those who are found to be unfit (criminal records, etc) should be denied and deported immiediately.
For future illegals: you must tighten border security, but you also need to prevent the necessity of border crossing: ie, make the visa application process easier and simpler. They are coming here, either illegally or legally, and my guess is that more would come here legally if that was easier.
There should also be stiff punishment for companies who hire illegal immigrants, and companies who provide services to those who could potentially be illegals (ie in calif, insurance companies can provide car insurance to those without driver's licenses...which illegals can't get). I'm sure there are already laws, but again, these people have lots of $$$ and the US gov't is rife with corruption, so people should eliminate the corruption if they want to see that actually take care of.
Lastly, if the US's economic policies are doing anything to make Mexico more impoverished, they should reverse that, too. Impoverishing people with unfair trade practices and tarriffs, etc, will only make it less desireable for them to live in that country.
I DO NOT agree that we should go messing with the constitution and make children of illegals not legal citizens. And it is NOT difficult to deport the illegal parent of a legal child, it happens everyday.

Answer 7

If our laws are to be respected, they must be enforced, which includes illegally entering our country. Otherwise, no law should be obeyed and enforced, regardless of the excuse. Employers should be fined and even jailed. Foreigners should not benefit from American taxpayer dollars just because they were desperate enough to sneak across our borders. Illegals will find their own way home, just as they found their own way here once the money and social services are cut off.

Answer 8

A good solution would be to stick to the laws that are already in place regarding immigrants. Anyone breaking the law, such as staying past their visa should be deported. Very simply put and repeated "UPHOLD THE LAWS ALREADY IN PLACE". Like the country use to do. Second, elect a president that holds to the laws. Which we might have a chance at if we can find a president who will do that.

Answer 9

1st: We should give people that have been here awhile a chance to be a citizen. Not immediate citizenship but a way to get a green card and show that they are honorable people.
2nd: We need to identify the reasons that they come to the US. The countries from which they come are often so poor and corrupt that it is their only way out. They have to spend a large amount of money (for them) and risk everything to come here. We need to work with the countries on improving their economies to give them a chance. We certainly give China enough money to make them become richer and stronger than we are. We should be able to help Mexico and the rest of the countries improve. We have sent enough jobs there to do something.
3: We do need to enforce the rules. But that may entail changing the rules to allow temporary visas for workers.

Answer 10

Why let them stay if they have been here for 5 years? That just means they have been committing crimes longer than the rest, they should be punished MORE!

1. Anyone who hires an illegal immigrant or rents to one gets five years in prison.
2. Anyone who is caught being in this country illegally gets five years in prison. If you have a stolen documentation, it is 15 years.
3. We give out more work visas for people in other countries who want to come here and work. If it can be proven that you were in this country illegally at any time, you go to jail for 5 years and can get a work visa after that.

Problem solved.