Here We Go Again

It has been almost two weeks since illegal immigration was an issue and it was the quietest time in the country. But all that changed this week. Worse, I have a feeling things are just going to keep going downhill.

The whole problem started when Donald Trump ordered the justice department and Department of Homeland Security (the parent of ICE) to enforce the internment of illegal aliens. Now this law is not new. It was signed in by George Bush in 2008. Barrack Obama, near the end of his tenure, decided not to follow the law (and that was a mess). So, as illegal aliens were crossing the border and were caught, they were jailed (interned) until their immigration hearings. Obama ordered that they were to be released pending their hearing but it was found only about 17% actually showed up to the hearing. So, upon recommendation from ICE and DHS, Trump ordered illegal aliens were to be detained until their hearings.

Now the real problem comes to play. The 2008 law stated that children illegally crossing the border could not be detained in the same facility as their parents (or whoever they were with. More on that later). So the children were taken to another holding place, much like that of modern day orphanages. They had access to beds, food and other necessities. The democrats (hating anything Trumps does) started screaming that children “were being ripped from their families.” Of course, the mob on Twitter (Twitter should be synonymous with “mob”) started screaming about the horror of Trump to do such a horrible thing as rip children away from their families. There were even pictures of children in cages being circulated on the Internet (though those turned out to be camps during the Obama administration…oops). Of course, words like Nazi were thrown around (I have yet to see pictures of the ovens the kids are thrown into but I am sure someone at CNN will gin one up).

This whole thing is so stupid. Once again, the Left is using emotional manipulation to make Trump look like the Antichrist. Let’s look at this problem from a more reasonable perspective. First off, I don’t think taking children away from criminal parents is a bizarre concept. If I am arrested while with my child, she is going to be taken to an internment facility until someone can pick her up while I go to jail. It’s faux outrage since it happen every day. In fact, 75% of inmates in prison have children and are separated from them. Another problem is that these people come over without papers. DHS reports that a lot of children are not with their parents but are with traffickers trying to gain sympathy from ICE. This is part of the reason the law was issued in the first place. Then there is the argument that families should not be separated when they claim asylum. I definitely agree with that but that’s not what’s happening. To claim asylum, one just has to go to a border checkpoint and make the claim. But DHS and ICE have confirmed that is not the case. Very few people in custody have claimed asylum. They are crossing the border.

Here’s a question I have: Why aren’t the parents bringing these kids into this country illegally being held responsible for their well-being? They are breaking U.S. law. Why are democrats and the news media blaming Trump? He didn’t break the law. He’s following it. As far as I am concerned, these kids shouldn’t be with their parents because they don’t care about them. But that’s my first thought when I heard this was a story. It is still bad that families are separated. And we should do something about it as Trump did on Wednesday, signing the executive order disallowing families from being broken up (which no one on the Left was satisfied with either). So, what needs to be done?

The easy way is not necessarily the wrong way. And I have heard this more than once. When the border patrol catches someone, stick them on a bus and drive them right back. Of course, that also has its pitfalls. If one is from Guatemala, Mexico won’t take them. But this is a very simplistic fix and really ignores the problem. It’s time for us to stop ignoring the problem. Time to put our heads down and create a new law.

Solving the immigration process is a three step process. Each process will make up the immigration system. Without one of these processes, nothing will work as we have seen for the last forty years. But it is still complicated. Politicians will need to come down from their moral ivory towers and actually talk and negotiate with each other to make this work.

The first process is securing the border. This is made up of physical security such as a wall or more border patrol. It also will require a fast and cost efficient way to send people back when they are caught. There has been talk that when a person is caught and does not have proper identification, put him on a bus and send him back immediately. Of course, many will argue this is a violation of their rights and the Constitution. Here’s a secret: illegal aliens do not have the rights of citizens or legal residents. They do not have a legal right to due process. Send them back. Likewise, we need to make it illegal to hire illegal aliens. A couple of months ago, an illegal alien was deported when he tried delivering a pizza while working for Dominoes Pizza. Yes, he was deported, but should Dominoes have been closed down for hiring someone with no identification? If there are no jobs for illegal aliens, trust me, they’ll stop coming. With this, I also include government programs.

The second process will be to determining who can come over the border and the process that must be undergone. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a “right” to come into our country (or any country for that matter). It is a privilege. We, in the United States, should be able to choose who is allowed to come over. There has been a lot of talk about a merit-based system. This is a system where , when you go into a country, you must prove that you are worthy of that country. In other words, one must have something that makes you valuable to that country. That can be a skill, money or influence. Most countries, including Mexico, will not let one become a legal resident unless one has something to offer. In this country, we should do the same thing. We should not take the dregs of another society. We have no need for criminals, drug users, the diseased, the uneducated or the leaches from another country. One needs to come to this country, be productive and adapt. Adaption is a big one. I never understood why someone would risk the trek of sneaking over from Mexico just for that person not to adapt and made the United States another Mexico.

Likewise, certain benefits of being a citizen or resident should not be available to people who are trying to get here. That means no social services like welfare, food stamps or even some types of medical benefits should be available. One must earn that stuff through residence. I am not a fan of nanny-state programs like welfare and food stamps. I am definitely not a fan for it going to people who came to this country, gave nothing but get it also.

Finally, we need to find a way to deal with those that are currently in the country illegally and have been here for a long time. There could be between 15 and 30 million illegal aliens in this country. A lot of them have been here for a very long time and some of the young do not even remember their home country. This is the toughest question. I am for some type of amnesty. An illegal alien can go through the background checks, pay a huge fine and stay as a legal resident. The only reason I believe this is I think it will be impossible to deport everyone. Unlike me, my girlfriend, Josie, who has been a legal resident for thirty years, believes that anyone caught should be deported. She says the process is long and hard but very doable. She has no sympathy for those who break the law. I see her point. I also think this is the toughest dilemma.

These steps (and there may be something I am missing because I am not a politician or lawyer) must be wrapped together in one law. We cannot address them independently. The reason is political. The Left want amnesty and the Right wants border security. If we legalize amnesty, the left will never address border security or the immigration process. The reverse is true if border security is met with the Right (though I am not sure of that).

But, again, all this takes legislation. It takes our politicians to stop acting like children and negotiate. Stop worrying about who is president (who has offered several solutions including some that the Right hated) and who will get credit. They say that talk is cheap. No, it’s worthless. It’s time for these “adults” to stop talking, stop bitching on Twitter and do some work.

Follow me on Twitter @RunninFewl

 

Images courtesy of:
Slate.com
Time.com
McClatchy.com
Reuters.com
Axios.com

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