Immigration: Legal vs Illegal
What to Do with Hundreds of Thousands of People?
I believe strongly that illegal immigrants need to encounter the consequences of their actions. That is the simple part. What those consequences should be is much more difficult. I don't really like outright amnesty, but if that is not granted, then what? There is much talk about "returning the illegals to their home of origin." In theory, I would agree. How is that to be accomplished, however?
Almost by definition, no one knows the exact number of illegal immigrants currently in the US. I have heard reports that there may be as many as one million illegals in this county. If they were to be returned home, how would our government -indeed any government - accomplish that? Is this a problem for the Federal Government to solve - or the states?
Do we assign that task to our police force? If searching for illegal immigrants becomes a primary task of our police force, then which of their current tasks gets less funding and attention? Do the police stop searching for drugs? Do they stop working accidents or crimes? Where would the police put the seized individuals? In our city or county jails? In our state or federal prisons? Would we have to release current prisoners in order to make room for the illegal immigrants? Who would make those decisions?
Should we assign the task to the National Guard? The last time I looked, most of the Guard was either in Iraq, returning from there, or getting ready to deploy there. Should we keep the Guard home, but assign them the task of searching for the immigrants that are to be returned home? Would all the Guard be mobilized, or only the Guard in the states with the largest number of immigrant violations? Who makes that decision? The governors of the states? How would using the National Guard for an immigration issue affect Federal priorities?
Do we assign citizen patrols for this? Some people have started doing this. Who determines who gets arrested? Would there be a trial? How long would it be before a legal immigrant was arrested and a suit was filed that would keep the program in the court system for years? Would the immigration issue be at a standstill until that issue was resolved?
Who will pay for this? If even 50,000 people were sent home by bus, that is a lot of money that would be coming out of some governmental budget. Which level of government would fund the search, the keeping of the "prisoners", and the tickets home? What other items would not be funded? If the Federal Government helped fund this, then what would this do to the national debt? If this were funded by the States, I wonder how the border states would feel if some of the States didn't actively seek out the illegals. Would some of the immigrants move from a State actively involved in finding illegal immigrants to a State less involved in such a search? Wouldn't that recreate something of the same scenario that this country encountered during the period prior to the Civil War?
What about the employers who won't have employees? Many people would say "That is their problem" I can understand that, but I wonder what the reactions of those people will be when those same companies have to raise the prices on their products because they have to raise the salaries of their employees? Would legal residents of the US flock to jobs left behind by the deported immigrants? Do we have so many unemployed people that they would flock to the fields to pick crops, or would the crops be left in the fields, raising the prices of the crops that do manage to get to supermarket shelves?
I find myself in the awkward position of believing that illegal immigrants should not receive positive reinforcement for their illegal status, yet also wondering if the consequences of returning them home will be more severe on those citizens who are shouting so loudly to have them deported. The people who are shouting want the illegal immigrants to have consequences, but I suspect that those who are shouting will shout even louder at the consequences that will come from returning illegal immigrants to their home of origin. Even consequences have consequences.
Published by Valerie Hewitt
A college instructor at a private two year college, I teach a variety of subjects. I have several years of education beyond high school. My education and experience is aimed at helping people make positive... View profile
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- Who would do the work that illegal immigrants do now? Can the rest of us afford that?
9 Comments
Post a Commentmarquis, ur a damn ass
Bob I understand what you mean that you pay taxes but some illigal immigrant gets it. I am illigal but I worked as a citizen and never recived any money from the goverment and I paid & filed my taxes as a citizen, I have been living here in the states for 7yrs and been married for 2 of thoes yrs to a us citizen I came in this country legally but the goverment are in the process off deporting me because I worked illigaly out of status and I lied on the 1-9 that I was a Citizen. As loyal as I have been with no crimes commited not even a parking or speeding ticket. And now I feel like if I could turn back the time I would just sit home and get some free money from the stupid citizens and this country that is not Grateful at all. So Bob SuCk It UP
I would first like to say that i"m a skilled painting contractor of 21 years and i have seen it all in the blue collar proffession! Back in 1994 i was getting around $2.65 sq. ft. That averaged about $ 25.00 hr per man. Today here in 2007 that same job if your lucky brings about $1.85 sq. ft. So yes i"d have to say that were eventually going to have to fold our buiss. You just can"t compete now in the blue collar world, The sad part is now i"m gonna have to start all over in some other low paying job "but what the hell" i"m making peanuts now! A trade learned many years ago that pays about the same today. I definetly think that It"s only going to get worse! This is an invasion upon our country thats def.. taking out all skilled trade workers and I urge all who reads this to please vote. Watch your candidates close we have to end this and get all illegals out of our beautiful country and let our blue collar friends have their job back! So maybe if our kids don"t graduate like me, maybe
I am an immigrant.I am agree with Plikani...Faye, Peacher, Andrew,Bob and Timothy, you must take grammar and writing classes before write a paragraph with lots of mistakes.
I'm reading this and I ask myself. Where the hell are the "educated" people?. You "Americans" don't even know how to write in your own language. Or is it that you need a new brain?
I don't quite get what the lady said (Peacher) but I do understand some of it and she is right. They need to go back the there own country. They are changing U.S to there country, and you said they, do thing because they are trying to make a living for there family, and you have your own here trying to do the same thing and we are not helping them at all. Sad when we can't help our own but spend money to help other becasue it to make you look good for votes and lie to your own peoples. You can get a job because you give it to them because you really are starting slaves time over again just different color because they work for nothing like the lady said. And they a don't know english. I tried to get a job I go to college, graduate out of highscool have by diploma and have different experince and I can't get a job. But they walk right over and the get a job because they lie to them and give them lower then what medium wage, I agree with the lady she is right on that is save you but it
I feel that they should pay the price that evryone else have to pay to live in another country. They come over and they get new homes they get all the job because there wife are on welfare and the came afford to work for nothing because the wife get 800.00 month and all the other that goes with it. And Senior citizen can ever get there bill paid and medical the live her in the United State SSN they can't thost that have work for all there live her in the United States. and the come over and the worked the field and they. have not Id not SSN and the come right in and they live better that those of us that is her all our live we get education for better jobs we are over qualified and we can get the job don't make sence. and they get job because they know that it not a job that they would have the own children work the owner of the job. So yes i feel that they should earn what it cost for other that have live and born in this state to get to where they are to live legal in the U.S. We sa
The costs are greater to have such numbers here on our tax base. A lot of problems will go away with workplace enforcement. Money will have to be spent, but its money either way. Which is the most cost effective and fair for our citizens? I suggest we look after our own people first. Low skill jobs which are decently paid are leaving this country we dont need the amount of these kinds of people. The costs of paying the average American worker will not greatly influence of prices.
Actually, most employers wouldn't have to raise prices since they already pay illegal immigrants less than the minimum wage. What would happen instead is that they would have to start paying payroll taxes and take in less profit. And to that I DO say: That's their problem. And it's about time they started dealing with it, or else face jail.