Practical Immigration
First, and foremost, I do not think immigration is a crisis issue requiring immediate action. It has only risen to be a top issue because the administration has chosen to make it an issue and portray the situation as a serious threat to our well-being (see Gallup poll). There is only one issue that is immediately pressing which is dealing with “Dreamers” who could be deported if the Republicans cannot agree on immigration reform legislation. Although the Dreamers’ status could be decoupled from other immigration issues, too many in Congress see it as a bargaining chip for these other issues.
With about 12.2 million illegal immigrants in the country (approximately 4 percent of our population)[1], it is unreasonable to think we are going to deport them, The only practical solution is to create a pathway for citizenship for those who have been in the US for a long time and contributed positively to our society. At the same time we do not want to have an amnesty policy that encourages further immigration. Therefore, it needs to be a one-time policy with a relatively high bar to meet.
Against this backdrop, what might a reasonable immigration policy look like? I think we need to allow the following one time options:
Dreamers who were born before 2006 and cam to this country before their 16th birthday can stay in this country for up to 4 years. At that point they can seek citizenship or if they choose, return to the country of their birth.
Those who came to this country illegally before 2008 (10 or more years ago), can apply for citizenship but must pay a substantial fine ($10,000 a person?) or do community service for a time that is equivalent in value. Approximately 66 percent of adult illegal immigrants have been in the US for 10 or more years (see Pew research).
If you have been in the US less than 10 years, you have not earned a path to citizenship. There would likely be other exclusion criteria such as if you had a criminal record you would not be eligible for citizenship. These individuals would be at risk of being deported. But given there are over 4 million adults in this group, it is not cost-effective or reasonable to actively hunt people down to deport them. Instead, the focus should be on those who break the law rather than general enforcement.
In parallel, we should take a number of steps to limit the flow of new illegal immigrants. We should increase border surveillance using radar and drones (rather than using a 13th century technology such as a wall). We could work with Mexico and the Latin American countries to improve conditions that are driving immigration. We should increase enforcement of the laws that make it illegal to hire an undocumented immigrant. If there is less opportunity in the US for illegal immigrants, they will stop coming.
We also should increase the number of legal immigrants allowed in the country. We want the world’s best and the brightest to come here and help fuel our economy.
Finally, the new policy would restructure ICE, It would forbid separating families and other extreme measures that are out of line with the misdemeanor offense of entering the country illegally. Alternatively, we could allow the use leg monitors to track parents deemed a flight risk while they are waiting for their court date. There is no reason to use extreme tactics against people whose only crime is they came here illegally to seek a better life for their family.