Immigration, Freedom vs Security
I feel that this subject is sadly the most politicized subject in our national dialogue right now with both sides painting each other as immoral or nefarious intentions on policy. When in my humble opinion it’s one of the important issues we need to come to a serious conclusion about. Because we are so undecided on what laws to enforce or if to enforce them at all it leaves the American people at a disadvantage and the foreign person at the mercy of our political instability.
The United States on average admits 660,000 legal immigrants per year (1988 figures). 55% of all illegal aliens come from Mexico with 20% accounting from other Latin American countries. The illegal immigrant population is growing by about 275,000 people each year. The INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services) is responsible for Border patrol as well as interior enforcement. One of the hardest questions to answer is how many legal immigrants too allow and how many illegals we need to prevent.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Background_Immigration.htm
Democrats want all undocumented illegal aliens to have a path to citizenship. Undocumented people in our country face the threat of unlawful labor practices or human trafficking and drug smuggling to be forced into part of their daily lives as a means to get an income while in our country without a social security number. Democrats believe that people need to have the ability to come out of the shadows and speak out and not be penalized for trying to just get into the most developed and civil countries in the worlds history.
Democrats also want reform of the INS to help backlogged immigration application as old as two months to two years old to be brought to the front and be heard first before new ones are.
Democrats also want to prosecute employers who illegally recruit and take advantage of these immigrants who aren’t educated under our laws of what a reasonable place of employment is and what isn’t. Also grant political asylum to anybody fleeing violence from any government.
Republicans want to use biometric data to better track foreign travelers. This system has been used at more than 115 airports and is presently being implemented at land border crossings. Reconnaissance cameras, border patrol agents, and unmanned aerial flights should all increase at our borders. We need to strength our Border Patrol force to stop illegal crossings, and we will equip the border patrol with the tools that would give them the ability to do so. There will be harsh penalties for those who smuggle illegal aliens and those who sell or distribute false documents. State local and federal law enforcement will all work in a cohesive manner in making our borders air tight
Republicans would only allow legal documented migration though tightly controlled borders. This way in Republicans eyes it’s done in a legal, safe, orderly and humane manner. This also supports measures to ensure that the immigration system is structured to address the needs of our National Security. This allows for better verification of the identity of who is coming into our country.
Republicans want powers to deport illegal aliens with borer patrol without having to go threw the hearing to an immigration judge. Republicans want the law to be enforced to the letter and welcome immigrants who wish to come here by legal means.
Republicans also want priority given to spouses, children and family members of Americans when it comes to admission to the country.
Republicans also feel that Amnesty encourages illegal immigration.
Immigration is deeply debated and discussed in the halls of congress on how this matter should be dealt with. I was encouraged after my first blog post to write more on my own personal opinion. As I said earlier I am an admitted conservative and will speak on the matter when asked.
The word “Illegal” carries with it the penalty of a crime being committed. If you are an illegal immigrant you have violated the sovereignty of the United States. If you have come here without going threw the appropriate channels you are breaking the law. Therefore I am against any amnesty or path to citizenship unless you were a minor when you crossed the border. As an adult you were in full knowing that what you were doing was a crime against the United States. You also recklessly put yourself in danger to be at the mercy of those who help smuggle you across. The legal immigrant has the right to all the privileges and rights the U.S. constitution grants. I also feel that any employer that gives a job to an undocumented worker should face strict and harsh penalties. We shouldn’t harshly punish illegal immigrants, but we should swiftly deport them. We should harshly punish anybody encouraging or helping them cross the border.