American Analysis

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Registration of Undocumented Immigrants

It is not possible, politically, socially, economically, or even morally, to attempt a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in the United States. The 11-? million immigrants illegally residing in the country are mostly productive, law-abiding people. Any fair historical analysis would illustrate that the desperately poor people who sneak into our nation across the Mexican border have been lured by and rewarded with relatively dream jobs by American corporations and by the general American public. We have, as a nation, de-facto invited them to risk their life, walking hundreds of miles through Mexico's countryside on their way to our dreamland.

Yes, we do need to rapidly deport all undocumented immigrants who have violated our criminal laws, and we need to effectively seal our southern border, as well as institute e-verify, end "chain migration," and pursue those who enter with a temporary visa and then stay. Immigration in American must be a legal process and one that benefits our nation.

The sensible solution for the millions of undocumented people already established here is to provide a period of registration for them to come out of the shadows and identify themselves without fear of deportation. Those with criminal records, those who refuse to register, and those who enter illegally in the future will then be fair game for deportation. The ones that do register will no longer be called illegal and will join our society in whatever path to legalization is ultimately devised.

This crisis has divided our nation for far too long; let's turn our attention to other vigorous arguments in our wonderful democracy.