A solution to the problem of all those evil illegal immigrants

[Orrex]

Lately we've heard of a few much-lauded raids on meat packing plants and the like wherein hundreds (or so) of illegal immigrants have been scooped up to be deposited in one of the various gulags in the southwest to await deportation. The employers, I suppose, will face some kind of fine and a lot of stiff penalties along the lines of "don't do that again," but I have what I believe is a more aggressive and productive way to address this problem.

An employer who knowingly employs, say, five or more illegal immigrants should have his or her own citizenship revoked, thereafter to be deported as soon as possible. The employer should likewise be scooped up and quickly transferred in communicado to some inconvenient location with inadequate facilities. Heck, why not go ahead and declare the employer an enemy combatant. I mean, part of the justification for militarizing our borders is to prevent terrorists from gaining entry to our fine nation; someone who employs such an evildoer is clearly aiding and abetting, right?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. I bet if that were passed much of American commerce would come to a halt!

It's definitely a thought-provoking proposal. Seriously though, from what I understand it's nearly impossible to revoke the citizenship of a natural born U.S. citizen.

[Orrex]

2. I agree 100%

What bothers me is that the ICE is acting like they're defending America from an enemy hidden in our midst; it would be much more honest to say "these people are vital to the strength of our economy, so let's work to defend their rights and protect them against exploitive employers."

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. a better solution would to give the 'visitors' work permits

if the visitors want to work then they should be issued work permits. If they want to stay for longer then they apply for a green card and then citizenship? Work permits can be issued at the border?

[leftofthedial]

11. the only long-term solution

is to use American foreign policy to improve conditions in their countries of origin.

I was born and raised near the Mexican border. Illegal workers have always been part of the economy of the region. The problem is now that their numbers have increased by thousands of percent and they have flooded labor markets all over the US, not just primarily in border states. I'm not a fan at all of the militarization of the border or of the current policies toward illegal immigrants. But it is a problem that needs a solution. The only way it will work is to make their lives better where they come from so they don't want or need to come here.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. I don't see Mexico improving in the near future

The US has to live with it and make it as legal as possible hence the work permit.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

16. There's a big difference between making legal immigration easier and condoning illegal immigration.

FWIW, I'm strongly in favour of the former and deeply reluctant about the latter.

If you believe, as I do, that immigrating to the US is too hard at the moment, then the solution should be "introduce less draconic laws", not "do not enforce the laws".

I think that a system in which someone who breaks the law, immigrates illegally and is caught ends up better off than someone who files an application to immigrate legally is fundamentally unjust. Sadly, I think that it's inevitable that that will be the case, because there are so many illegal immigrants in America that there's nothing you can do without causing massive suffering that won't result in the people who obeyed the law being worse off on average than them, but I don't like it one little bit.

Legal immigration needs to be made easier. Ideally, it should be sufficiently easy that "join the queue with everyone else, and if you're turned down we'll deport you" is a response one can workably give to illegal immigrants.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

20. It's what's practical and what can be achieved in the short term

The immigration service has been solely lacking in being able to cope with illegal immigrants. It is annoying that many go through the pains of applying for the gree card and citizenship only to be turned away and yet someone else just hops in over the border. People say you have to draw a line but what line? The only hope we have got in the short term in making them legal is to issue them with visiters visas and work permits. The immigration service does not have the manpower to round people up. Trying to chase up the hundreds of thousands of one-man contractor businesses who hire immigrants would not be practical.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

21. I think you're probably right, but I wish you weren't.

My impression is that the number of illegal immigrants in the US is in the millions, and there's clearly no acceptable way of deporting even a large fraction of that number. I wish there was, though.

[Greyhound]

4. That would work, but as pointed out in previous reply, it would be next to

impossible to implement.

What can be done is to impose meaningful fines on the employers ($10,000 per day per employee) for the first offense and jail time for company executives for repeated offenses. The market for illegal labor would dry up immediately, wages for those jobs would rise, and that will result in increased tax revenue and a better standard of living for the workers in those jobs.

[givemebackmycountry]

5. It's much worse than that.

Go to The Nation website and read this article.
I forget what issue but it was a recent one.
Just type "Greely" in the search box and it will pop right up.

[razors edge]

6. Why not just

force the country of origin to pay any incurred expenses of dealing with their own citizens who have illegally entered the country. Then stand back and watch them guard their own borders.

Every country should be responsible for it's own citizens, shouldn't they?

[Vincardog]

7. Every country should be responsible for it's own borders, shouldn't they?

[razors edge]

8. Yes, resposible for its own

everything for that matter.

I am forced to have insurance to cover me from an uninsured driver damaging my car.

Every corporation should be forced to carry insurance to cover loss to investors and pensioners as well.

[Ezana]

9. Do not try to treat the effect deal with the cause and the rest will be taken care of.

The US governments is mostly responsible for the displacement of refugees all over the world. Its unfair trade practice and its Overt or Covert intervention (To secure its INTEREST) is the cause for the displacement of REFUGEES and IMMIGRATION. By distablizing most of the developing countries and stablizing and developing the US, the US has created a fertile ground for ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. Now it is planning to punish the VICTOM. What type of a world are we living in !!

[razors edge]

10. Mexico's government is not blamlesss.

Bad policy decisions of their own have every bit as much, if not more, to do with the economic conditions of their own country.

If Mexico, or any other nation, signs a trade deal that favors it's wealthy at the expense of the masses then they are to blame for their own bad choices.

Personally, I don't have any problem with them coming here to work and never did, I just get tired of hearing people blame the average American who does have a gripe against illegals being made out to be the bad guy, and never a word is spoken about the source of the problem to begin with.

Our interference in SA is extreme and every bit as bad as you state, but their people who are affected by it are not going to solve their country's political problems form this side of the border. Unless they are hear to buy guns.

[Hippo_Tron]

13. No, just fine them $1 million for every illegal immigrant they hire

But oh wait that would be punishing poor businesses just for trying to get slave labor.

[Le Taz Hot]

14. I haven't even read your post

but I would like you to show me where anyone on this board made the accusation that illegal immigrants are evil.

I'll wait.

[Orrex]

15. Read the post--I think that my tone comes through more clearly

By calling them "evil," I'm lampooning the white supremacist idiocy that despises illegal immigrants even as those same racists enjoy the literal fruits of the immigrants' labor.

Perhaps I should have inserted a :sarcasm: in the subject line?

[Le Taz Hot]

17. I don't see many white supremecists on DU.

Do you? One can disapprove of illegal immigration without despising the immigrant. MOST of us understand the difference.

[Orrex]

19. I really think that you're missing my point. Let me try again...

I'm not saying that any DU'er is a white supremacist, nor am I claiming that anyone here has accused immigrants (legal or otherwise) of being evil. Instead, the intent of my OP was to point out that the problem of illegal immigrant workers extends beyond the individual worker and should therefore be treated as such. Deporting a truckload of anonymous border-crossers looks great on CNN, but if Company X has a practice of hiring illegal immigrants, then that company should be dealt with in a way that removes the incentive to commit that crime. I'm certainly not excusing illegal immigration (though it's folly to deny that such workers perform a vital function in our economy); instead, I'm calling for stronger condemnation of employers who hire illegal workers.

Is that clearer?

[Colobo]

18. I support an amnesty

For those individuals that can prove they have been here for more than 5 years and have a steady job and no criminal record.