Some thoughts on immigration reform (March 6)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
President Obama promises to tackle the nation’s immigration problems soon, and that might be good news.
It also might be bad news if any bill that results is another 2,000-pager that hardly anybody reads and most people hate — sort of like the health-insurance-reform bill the president hopes to be able to slide through Congress on a “reconcilliation.” If ever a parliamentary trick were misnamed, it’s that one.
The president and Congress aren’t one whit interested in what folks think out here in the hinterlands about immigration, legal and otherwise.
But if they ever wanted to ask, here are some suggestions, gleaned from locals:
(1) First, secure the borders of the United States. That’s easy to say, hard to do. While we might be pretty good at keeping invading armies, navies and air forces at bay, we are terrible at stopping the individual invader who often just walks across the border and melts into communities of his or her own kind in the United States. The Border Patrol does its best, and so does the National Guard in the places where it’s deployed along the border for short periods. The number of illegals crossing our borders has gone down. Doubling the size of the Border Patrol might help.
This is important, because we are being invaded by drug dealers and other criminals, as well as people who just want to get a job.
(2) Make it easier for people from other countries who want to come here to work to do so legally. Then, when they are here, monitor them carefully, almost as you would someone on probation or parole. At some point, they would be given the choice of either returning to their country of origin or taking steps to become U.S. citizens.
(3) Appropriate the money to pay for all this. Don’t expect states to do it.
(4) Make a one-time offer of citizenship to all illegals presently here, provided they go through the same process as legal immigrants.
“This is important, because we are being invaded by drug dealers and other criminals, as well as people who just want to get a job.”
people who want to get a job are not invaders? It is American, people want the dignity of work. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I agree that borders should be more secure to prevent drug cartels from reaching US consumers. And the US should co-operate more with the Mexican Government in eliminating colombian drug taffickers from reaching a major part of the Central and North American Continent.
The illegals come across the border to take advantage of the Welfare system in the United States. They come here without a thought of getting a job, especialy now when the economy is in the toilet. Knowing that they may not get a job they aren’t really concerned about feeding themselves or getting medical care because that will all be provided by the State they happen to make it to. Our government sees to it that they won’t do without. Whatever assistance provided them is far better than what they would get in Mexico. If they are here illegally and they get caught, how many pay the $1000.00 fine?
Why doesn’t Mexico take care of their own? Because the government there knows that the “good ol’ USA” will do it for them and it won’t cost them one single penny. So let’s have our government cut some more programs for schools and Senior Citizens so the illegals will be taken care of in the manner to which they have become acustomed to.