America in the Balance

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: A LOOK AT OUR OPTIONS

by

Ken Eliasberg

While we have discussed this topic at some length, dealing with the problem, the costs, the benefits, some proposed reform measures, there remain significant questions as to both the will for reform and the appropriate form that such reform would take. Let’s examine our options, and let’s do so in the following four (4) contexts:

1. What should we do?
2. What can we do?
3. What must we do?, and
4. What will we do?What Should We Do?- That’s an easy one, ENFORCE THE LAW! That is, noone should be allowed to disobey the law. Thus, in a perfect world, we would simply throw out all illegal immigrants, i.e. deport them to their country of origin. At present, this is a less than perfect world, and we have neither the will nor the resources to do the right thing.

What Can We Do?- Now, let’s get real; we simply do not have the resources to locate them, let alone deport them. Moreover, as a practical matter, it is unlikely that we shall be able to do that even if, at some future time, we come into possession of such resources. Why not? I strongly suspect that, if we were to throw out upwards of our 12,000,000 illegal immigrants, the effect on our economy would be so staggering as to throw the economy into a tailspin, i.e. a deep recession (if not an outright depression). Many sectors of our economy are very, very dependent on migratory workers. As a consequence, I don’t believe we would throw them out even if we could. I realize that this is a less than honorable approach in that it elevates profits over principles—sad, but true. On the other hand, I don’t know too many politicians possessed of sufficient integrity to take the hit for throwing the country into a deep recession (if that were in fact to be the consequence of deporting every illegal immigrant), notwithstanding the fact that that is exactly what should be done if we are to take seriously the principle that we are a government of laws.

That said, I strongly believe that we could do just that if (1) we had the resources, and (2) we did so incrementally, i.e in stages so as not to visit too great a trauma on the body of our economy. Failing to take the deportation route, we can, and should, do the following:

1.Secure the borders. I am saying secure, not seal, the borders. While we may not be able to properly deal with the existing problem, we want to do all that we can to make certain that we do not have to deal with an enlarged problem in future years as a result of illegals continuing to pour across our borders. This could be achieved by a combination of measures. First, the Federal government should substantially increase manpower in the appropriate agency, i.e. the INS or Homeland Security Department (if that has replaced the INS with regard to such matters). Second, California should adopt Ray Haynes California border patrol proposal. Also, where fences are either necessary or even desirable, install them.

2. Lean heavily on Mexico to stop supporting illegal immigration, and seriously consider sanctions if we are unable to secure their cooperation..

3. Reimburse the States for the cost of illegal immigration, i.e. if the Federal government is not going to do anything to solve the existing problem—and it is a federal problem—then the federal government should reimburse the States for the cost of federal inaction.

4. Identify and locate everyone in this country who is here illegally, and keep track of them, i.e. put their names and addresses on a computer data bank and maintain constant on-going contact with them. Know who they are and where they are.

5. Require employers to hire only legal immigrants (and U.S. citizens, of course), and impose stiff fines for failing to adhere to this requirement. For recurrent offenders, fines should stiffen into jail time.

6. Re-examine (and change) the current position with respect to children born to illegal immigrant parents in the U.S.

What Must We Do?- EVERYTHING WE CAN!! That is, all of the foregoing plus do something about the illegals that are presently in the U.S., e.g. a phased-in staged deportation, coupled with favorable consideration for the deportees (or at least some of them) subsequently securing guest-worker status, possibly eventually leading to green card status.

What Will We Do? - I really can’t tell you, but there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll do something—the issue is just too hot, and the consequences of not addressing it could prove politically lethal. When left-wing radicals like Hillary Clinton start talking tough on the subject, you know that it’s a very sensitive subject (you also know that, in her case, it’s nothing but talk, but it’s talk she has to deliver to appear tough on the subject, thereby burnishing her leadership credentials if she wants to run for the presidency—and we all know that she very much wants to; this is one very power-hungry lady).

There’s also little doubt in my mind that that something that we do will be less than what’s desirable, no less necessary. Why am I not more optimistic? Because the problem is huge, the stakes very high, the issue politically very sensitive (everyone is frightened of damaging their prospects with the Hispanic voting block, national security be damned), and, as a consequence, the will to do the right thing is overshadowed by the fear of the consequences of stepping on the wrong toes. This is is not a cynical perspective, merely a realistic one. I could be wrong, and nothing would please me more. The need is great; the fear greater. Once again, political expediency will, in my opinion, trump a principled approach to the problem. In short, the problem is simple; it poses only 2 questions—(1) how do we do a better job of keeping illegals out of the country, and (2) what do we do about those that are already here—the right thing, i.e. throw them out, or something short of that? How our legislators answer these questions should prove interesting.