Shots Across The Bow

True Immigration Reform

Does it bother anybody else that the ardent supporters of immigration reform are now giving up after the defeat of the monstrosity they presented to the Senate? Do they truly believe that their way was the only way to solve the problem? They're like a bunch of little kids who are going to take their ball and go home because they didn't get their way. Why aren't they working on a plan that the American people will support? Instead, they are turning on their constituents in a way I've never seen happen before. If immigration reform is as important as they said it was, why are they giving up?

My personal feeling is that it's because each and every one of them is full of stuff that smells bad and makes plants grow, but maybe that's just me.

Manish brings up a very good point in the comments thread here:

I still await seeing a viable plan (that doesn't involve fantasies like assuming that we can catch them all) that doesn't involve "amnesty" that has a chance of working while not ruining many sectors of the economy that rely on immigrant labor.

I'm waiting as well; the last plan certainly didn't fit the bill.

Here are the broad outlines of a plan,that should solve the problem in a way acceptable to most Americans. Feel free to discuss in comments or at your own blogs.

1. Secure the borders first. That should be the strongest message that immigration reformers take from the public debate. The first order of business is not to legalize those who are here already, or to deport them. The first order of business is to stop the flood. Trying to deport those here illegally already would be like trying to save the Titanic by bailing it out with a 5 gallon bucket. Stop the leak first. Then deal with the flood waters.
   
2. Assess the factors driving the immigration This is actually part of step one. No matter how strong a fence you build, if people want to cross it badly enough, they will. Look at the Berlin Wall, for example. We have to assess what drives people to cross the border, and minimize those drivers as much as possible. The biggest driver for illegal immigration is that unskilled workers cannot find work in their home countries and there's not a whole lot we can do about that. Consider Mexico. When NAFTA passed, all we heard from the opposition is that all the jobs would go south of the border, leading to a labor crisis here in America. Obviously, the "giant sucking sound" was just another figment of Ross Perot's fertile imagination. The Mexican economy is crippled by the corruption of the Mexican government, and that's something we can't do anything about.

   However, there are two sides to this coin. They have too many workers and too few jobs on their side of the border while we here in America have the exact opposite problem; too few workers for too many jobs. Our immigration policy needs to reflect this reality.
   

3. Develop a realistic visa policy Our immigration policy should first address our needs as a nation. Immigration should be targeted to fill gaps in our workforce. Jobs with below minimal manning should receive top priority. It is obvious that there is a demand for unskilled labor in the US, and our visa policy should reflect that.

   First of all, let's reduce the upfront burden on the employer. As it stands now, in order to apply for unskilled visas, the employer must first prove that they have jobs to fill and nobody to fill them. Eliminate this requirement. Instead use already available statistics from the NLB to determine which industries require additional workers.
   Second,the visa belongs to the worker, not the company. Why should an American company hold the visa? All it does is take power away from the worker,who is now not only dependent on the company for his livelihood, but for the very ability to earn that livelihood. Again, use the info from the NLB to determine the number of visas allowed for each industry, and issue those visas directly to the applicant. These first two steps go a long way towards reducing the abuses of immigrant labor by big business.
   

4. Enact and enforce tough penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens We need to create an incentive to hire legal immigrants over illegals. Right now, the incentive is the other way around,since illegal aliens can be hired significantly cheaper. By creating an economic penalty for hiring illegal aliens, that incentive disappears.
   
5. Pass a law that anyone found working in the US illegally will be deported and will never be eligible for a legal visa Why go to the expense of trying to round up millions of illegal aliens when we can create an incentive program that will encourage them to go home voluntarily? If we set up a sane visa policy that allows for unskilled immigrant labor to get visas quickly and easily, and at the same time erect stiff penalties for being caught in the US illegally, doesn't that create a strong incentive for anyone here illegally to go home and come back the right way?

Take all the steps together and you have a sane, practical policy that will encourage legal immigration to address America's needs while discouraging illegal immigration and at the same time, provides a strong incentive for those here illegally to go back home and come back the right way. Throw in a secure border, the very first item on the list, and the solution is complete.

Sure,there will be a lot of those who are here illegally who will resist going back home. At least,at first. But as they begin to lose work because employers are hiring legal immigrants, and as they see others deported and not come back within a week or two, the incentive for them to stay here illegally will begin to diminish, as will their numbers. The illegal immigrant population will go into a decline,slowly at first, but increasing over time as they are displaced by legal immigrants.

And all of this without English only legislation, or having to round up millions of people.

So Sen. Martinez (who is probably too busy throwing a tantrum to actually hear anything) I've answered your challenge. I've given you the broad outlines of an immigration policy that meets the needs of America, without amnesty, without devastating businesses,and without requiring racially charged legislation. The question is this: Do you or any of your colleagues in Washington have the balls to do anything about it?

Posted by Rich at June 29, 2007 4:33 PM | TrackBack