Immigration -- again

I have no illusions about the will of Congress to wrestle with the hot-button issue of illegal immigration. Sadly, both parties cling tenaciously to their self-serving constituencies, the Democrats and the latino voting block, and the Republicans and the thousands of employers who depend on this continuing stream of undocumented aliens to fill jobs apparently Americans are unwilling to perform.

Sadly, I suspect, nothing will happen until some dramatic event involving illegals occurs to spur action, and, even then, our venerable lawmakers will have to be dragged kicking and screaming to the negotiation table.

It is my belief, other than creating a fairly sophisticated piece of software, this is not a difficult problem to solve. To that end, here are my thoughts to fend off this gathering storm. I'm sure there are holes in my plan, but I'm convinced this broad template will work. Further, it would be funded in large part if not in its totality by the monies currently being wasted on a border patrol program that is not working.

I've been looking for a program title that would make any government proud but have come up short. I invite readers to offer their suggestions. Otherwise, here's my plan presented as succinctly as I am able.

1. Control the Border. This is a no-brainer and believe all those interested in solving this problem recognize it is a must first step. I'm no engineer but I've witnessed in the past 30 years exponential growth in sophisticated technology and I'm convinced our border can be locked up with a combination of a motion-sensitive fence, satellite surveillance, drones, etc...

2. Establish some number of points of entry and return along the California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas borders, either one for every road that crosses both countries or some other reasonable formula. It would be manned by agents from both countries

3. An integrated website would be establish that employers would use to post their employment needs. Conversely, prospective employees would use this site to enter the queue. Those prospects who do not have access to this technology could be entered into the queue by one their government representatives. The matching of prospects and employers would be conducted at a "transition center," i.e., one of those entry points described in #2.

4. The next step -- transporting non-U.S. citizens to the job to which they been assigned -- is a sticky one. There are several ways to address it:

a. The government could take responsibility for seeing that the
non-citizen reaches the job to which he/she is assigned. It is my least
favorite option and should only be considered as a last resort.
b. The employer could be responsible for getting his new employee to the
work location and assist him/her in getting situated. Doable, but not
practical. It would be a cost to the small business owner that most
could not afford, although, again, this effort could be subsidized
by the government (not an attractive option).
c. Illegal immigrants have proven resourceful finding their way to all
points on the U.S. mainland to acquire the employment they desperately
seek. Leave the task to them, and, here again, some government
assistance is an option.

That's a simple description of what I believe can serve as a template to get our hands around this thorny problem. I have no illusions about the program complexity to track both job opportunities and prospects to fill them, but I have no doubt it is well within our capability.

What follows are some of the details I envision to move non-citizens into our country in a controlled environment. To wit:

1. Aliens would not be permitted to stay in the country for more than one year without renewing their "visa" and no more than five years if they have not petitioned for citizenship.

2. Employed aliens would be permitted access to our health and school systems. Children born of legal aliens would inherit U.S. citizenship; children of illegal aliens would not. The latter, unfortunately, would require a constitutional amendment, which makes this feature unlikely.

3. Those seeking citizenship would need to acquire a working knowledge of English. They would be considered in the order in which they applied, although preferential treatment would be given to those already working in our country assuming they have established a reputation as a good citizen.

4. Employers who employ unregistered aliens would suffer stiff financial penalties and/or loss of license to retain their enterprise. The illegals would be deported and banned from entering the legitimate program for three years. A second infraction would result in a prison term.

The last component of my plan is to address the millions who currently live and work in our country illegally.

1. All illegals would be given one year to registered with the program, utilizing the same web access. Employers, too, would have to report the names of those aliens in their employ within the same time frame. Their access to our job network would be grandfathered and their one-year clock would begin at the time of their registration. These individuals, as long as they are working, can avail themselves of the school and health systems. I also would grandfather citizenship to children of these illegals.

2. Illegal immigrants not working must return to their home country within six months of initiation of this program, or register for employment in which case they would have three months to secure a job or return to their home country. Said immigrants not adhering to this fiat when caught would be imprisoned for a period of not more than
six months and then returned to their home country. They would not be permitted to return to the United States for at least three years.

That's it. I'm sure I haven't anticipated all the stumbling blocks or all the creative solutions. I will depend on visitors to this blog to help me chisel a final plan I can place in the hands of key federal lawmakers.

And with this humble effort so begins a more structured, but broader forum to air my thoughts and hopefully the many who elect to visit and comment.

John G..