Question:
An Immigration Compromise Solution?
Answer:
IMMIGRATION NATION
No, we will not be sending 11 million illegal immigrants back to
their homeland. But it is time we stopped the constant flow of illegal
immigrants across our borders. Is it fair to grant amnesty to millions
of immigrants that have been living and working in this country for
years, while others that await legal immigration status and citizenship
wait in line? No, it is not. Is it a good move to offer these 11
million illegal immigrants citizenship? No, it is not. It will only
entice others to cross our borders illegally in pursuit of U. S.
citizenship.
So what are the 'fair' solutions? First, we have to evaluate
our current situation. Thousands of immigrants cross our borders to
work and make a living because it is not possible to do so in their own
countries. In many cases these countries have ample resources to
provide for their citizens. Greed, corruption and mismanagement prevent
this. Our primary approach has to be to improve conditions and
opportunities for the people of these countries. Thousands come here to
seek work and in most cases are very hard workers that are willing to
do jobs that other Americans are not. But thousands of others come here
only to take advantage of our graciousness. They join gangs, are
unemployed, deal drugs, commit burglaries, violent crimes and homicide.
These are not the immigrants we want entering our borders.
Our commitment has to be to pressure the governments of these
countries to improve conditions for workers in their countries so that
they have jobs and are able to support their families. Skilled workers
and professionals living in the United States, which were once also
illegal immigrants, have to play a crucial role in helping these
countries and in developing the economies to support their citizens. We
must understand that the major problem is not in America, but in the
countries the immigrants come from. America must not be seen as their
only hope.
The drastic increase in illegal immigration is a recent
development of the last twenty-five years. Twenty-five years ago if you
said 'immigration police' to a crowd of illegal immigrants there
was fear. Today they do not fear consequences because few consequences
are enforced. Two decades ago, ranchers and farmers, construction
contractors, landscapers and restaurant and hospitality owners and
managers realized they could increase their profits by hiring illegal
immigrant labor. In many cases they did not pay Federal or State
employment taxes on their employees, saving them thousands of dollars
every year. Employers did not have to concern themselves with safety
issues because they knew if one of their employees was hurt on the job
they would never file a lawsuit against the employer. The laborers were
illegal and therefore fear prevented them from pursuing any litigation.
And accordingly, they would not file Workman's Compensation or
require unemployment compensation.
Employers did not have to offer illegal immigrant laborers
health insurance or vacation time or any fringe benefits. Illegal
immigrant workers worked harder under tougher conditions without
complaining because they were afraid to lose their jobs and be forced
to return to their homeland. And of course, employers did not have to
deal with Unions. All of these factors gave these specific business
industries a windfall. They made lucrative profits while legitimate
businesses that were not taking short cuts and circumventing American
laws struggled through taxes and mounting expenses. Look around today
and you will easily see that the businesses that are thriving are the
ones that hire and employ illegal undocumented workers. As a legitimate
business owner that does not employ undocumented workers, I find this
to be criminal and completely unfair for those businesses that follow
the letter of the law.
But the bottom line, as always is money. In Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, Nevada and California for three decades now, politicians and
government administrators were willing to look the other way because
their constituents and their pockets were being lucratively rewarded.
They all felt that as long as they were making money, no one was
getting hurt. But the facts are very different. Although as consumers
we may see some economic savings at our restaurants or landscaping
service or in a new home purchase, in the long run the costs outnumber
the savings. We have also seen a dramatic increase in our taxes, all of
our taxes; property taxes, sales taxes, school taxes, city, county and
state taxes. The reason is quite simple. The growth from the influx of
immigrants into our work force and our communities has created more
stress on our resources. We require more homes and apartments to be
built, more roads, more schools, more utilities, more law enforcement
and jails and ultimately everything actually costs us more. It also
creates more crime because often they think they can do things that
they might get away with in their own country. Other times they find
that dealing drugs or stealing cars for parts or other criminal
activities can be more lucrative than working. And sometimes when they
lose their jobs, this is the only choice they have so they do not have
to return to their impoverished homeland. And despite what some may
think or say, they very often take jobs away from Americans. They force
contractors that do not employ illegal immigrants out of business
because they cannot compete with companies that do.
California is a good example of the economic stress the
immigrant population has created. The state and many of the local
communities are in constant economic trouble because of the taxing
burdens on their infrastructure and services. Illegal immigrants rarely
pay property taxes because often times they rent and crowd several
families in a single bedroom or dwelling. Employers do not take taxes
out of their checks and many times when they do, the money never makes
it to the Federal government. It ends up in the pockets of the
employers. I have seen this often enough to know that it is a fact and
it is also very common. Much of the money illegal immigrants make does
not flow back into the states economy. It is sent back to their home
country to feed their families. They rarely pay school taxes yet our
laws require their children be educated in public schools.
And today, public schools that have large immigrant populations with
children that have difficulty speaking the language are required to
achieve the same standard test scores as schools with a student
population of English speaking and native born students. This is not
fair to teachers and administrators that work in these high risk
schools. There are no incentives to work there. In fact it is the
opposite. If their test scores do not meet the standard scores, their
funds are reduced and their evaluations are also effected. Illegal
immigrant children that do not speak the English language should not be
in the same classroom as English speaking students. The progress of the
other students is affected because teachers have to slow down their
curriculum to let the non-fluent English speaking students catch up.
This is wrong and is unfair to all of the students.
An illegal immigrant should not have the same rights as citizens
of the country. This is also wrong and sends the wrong message to those
wanting to enter our country illegally. Many police forces in cities in
the Southwestern United States cannot turn in illegal immigrants
because they are restricted by the laws of their own cities. Illegal
immigrants, who commit a crime are sentenced, incarcerated and then
released, free to return to society and commit another crime. Every
person that crosses the United States border should be fingerprinted
and required to provide a DNA sample. So that any illegal immigrant
that commits a serious crime while in this country illegally can serve
their time and then be returned to their country and not be allowed to
enter the United States again. This will open an opportunity for others
who will follow our laws.
Employers must be held accountable. We must have a legitimate
work-pass program for these undocumented workers. This does not mean
citizenship. It means that they have been fingerprinted and have
provided a sample of their DNA so that we can keep track of them while
they are within our borders. If they are here in this country and they
are not citizens or do not have visas, then they must have a work-pass
that is authorized by an employer. The employer must ultimately take
responsibility for the employee. If they lose their job while in this
country on a work pass, then they should be required to file their
status with an immigration office and be given a limited time of a few
weeks to find other employment and another employer to authorize them
or they would be required to return to their country of origin to
provide an open opportunity for another worker.
Illegal immigrants that have been in this country for years now
should be required to register with the immigration department and be
given temporary residence if they are elderly and living with someone
that has citizenship or a work-pass. Those that are not elderly should
also register and be given a temporary work-pass authorized by an
employer and be allowed to remain in the country as long as they are
dutifully employed and do not commit a serious crime. Anyone with a
work-pass will pay taxes like all others in this country, including
Federal, State and Local taxes. Employers should be required to also
pay employee taxes on their laborers and be assessed much more serious
penalties if they hire undocumented workers or do not pay taxes on
work-pass laborers. A work-pass should be a card that identifies the
owner of the card and has fingerprint and coded cross referenced
information to verify the identity and the legitimacy of the card and
the card holder. ...
Good analysis. If this is original you should send into to one of the
online sites on immigration.
Yes, it is original. I have been wrestling with the issue
extensively lately. Any suggestions on web locations
to forward it to would be appreciated.
