A Matter of Pressure
My old blog-buddy Rob (old as in long-standing, not elderly) had this to add to the immigration debate:
As long as illegal immigrants seen incentive to crossing our southern border they will continue to attempt it en masse. In order to stop them we must couple making it harder for them to actually cross the border with making it harder for them to make that trip across the border worthwhile once they come here.
That means cracking down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers in addition to actually arresting and deporting those illegals who are found here in our country. We also need to avoid any sort of program or initiative that is going to give these illegals the idea that if they can get here and live under the radar long enough that we’ll just let them stay. That means no “path to citizenship” and no “guest worker” programs.
If we do these things and show the illegals that a) crossing our border is incredibly difficult and b) living here as an illegal is equally difficult it will slow the number trying to get across our border.
Say Anything: Border Security Alone Won’t Solve Our Problem
First off, a Mexican isn’t an illegal immigrant until he actually crosses the border. When he’s in Mexico, dreaming of finding work in America, he’s a potential immigrant. He wants work. As luck would have it, American businesses want cheap labor. It’s a simple matter of pressure… economic pressures from Mexico pushing workers out, and economic pressures in America drawing them in. These pressures aren’t going away, and trying to eliminating them would be bad for our economy. It’s not the goal of potential immigrants or the goal of American businesses that is the problem, it’s the method. When immigrants stream over our borders illegally, in the shadows, we have no way of sorting the terrorists and the criminals and the gang members from the otherwise law-abiding job seekers.
The companion to border enforcement must be to provide a method for easier legal immigration, or nothing will change. The way we eliminate pressure on the borders is by opening a valve. A valve with a filter. This isn’t amnesty. In fact, a more lenient legal immigration policy makes it that much easier to have a firm policy against illegal immigration.
The problem of all the illegal immigrants (criminals, albeit well-intentioned criminals) who are already here is one that requires a solution, but first we must stop the tide of illegal immigration by enforcing our borders and relieve the pressure on our borders by relaxing our legal immigration procedures.
Excellent point. I normally include a “wider gate” stance in my illegal immigration comments. Why I didn’t in that post is beyond me.
Thomas Friedman has said that his immigration is summed up as a “tall fence with a wide gate.” That sums up mine as well. We need crack down on illegals in this country while also making it easier to legally immigrate.
[...] Mark discussed immigration and the pressure caused by the combination of strict border enforcement and strict legal immigration procedures. [...]
The real change that needs to be brought about by the pressure of closing the borders is to the corrupt and economically dysfunctional Mexican government.
The economic incentives that draw illegal immigrants here also have the effect of depleting Mexico of the people most likely to revolt and topple the status quo.
Perhaps it’s time to revise our deportation policies…..
I propose that we screen our deportees for draftee/militia standards….and those males of draft age without criminal records be deported with appropriate weaponry….it would certainly be a lot cheaper than what we are currently doing…Vis a vis the free government benefits we keep shelling out for
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[...] Mark discussed immigration and the pressure caused by the combination of strict border enforcement and strict legal immigration procedures. [...]