One of the biggest challenges facing the United States is how to reform immigration. Do we keep true to our history of welcoming anyone? After all the Statue of Liberty reads in part:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me “
Or has a time come, when we, like many other nations in the world, need to limit immigration in an effort to ensure true opportunity for those entering the country? Some may argue it is also necessary for the safety of our citizens.
One of the greatest features of the United States is that those who work hard have an opportunity to live well. We may not all have the opportunity to be rich and famous – that’s rare; but we can make a good living while also making a positive impact on our community. This is why so many want to immigrate, but with all the uncertainty in the world and the many who entered the country without following the proper channels, how do we solve the immigration problem?
Here’s my simple solution. I encourage you to read through the entire plan before passing judgment.
- Close all of our borders and stop all immigration today. Okay, before you are upset by this, we’d only close the borders for a very short period of time, even just 15 minutes. This may seem harsh, but we need this opportunity to essentially hit the reset button. Anyone who illegally enters the United States after this brief border closure will NOT have a path for citizenship. Doing this will let the world know that if one wants to immigrate, he or she must follow the rules.
- The Dreamers who are already in the United States and registered with DACA will have a path to citizenship. Any individual who has completed the DACA process and either:
- is in college or has completed college, or
- is in the military or has served in the military and was honorably discharged, or
- is working and paying taxes in the United States, and
- has no criminal conviction or its equivalent for any violent crime, drug crime, or fraud
is eligible for immediate permanent resident status in the US.
As long as the individual continues to remain a productive member of society for three years through work, military service and/or education and avoid any criminal convictions, that individual will gain citizenship.
It is unreasonable to round up and deport those who have been here for many years, especially when the vast majority are productive members of society making significant contributions to their communities. Further, for those who meet the requirements above, it makes sense to allow for citizenship. I know there are many who believe this kind of amnesty would open flood gates of new people entering the country illegally, but by enacting part 3 we can prevent those floodgates from opening.
Individuals who fail to meet these requirements, would be eligible for deportation. Again, this may seem harsh, but as a country, we should have the right to remove those who are non-citizens who commit crimes (and the way this is written that would essentially be violent criminals).
- After the temporary border closure or reset button, there will no longer be an opportunity for individuals to become a part of DACA. The only way to become a permanent resident or citizen after the reset is through legal entry into the United States. This is necessary to inform and require potential immigrants to only enter the country legally. Anyone who enters illegally, will be deported and risks the possibility of never being able to earn citizenship in the future. We have to be tough to ensure that people follow the rules.
- Given the urgency and humanitarian necessity of those coming to the country under Refugee or Asylum status, we need to keep this option available. As a country we should work with allies around the world to find ways to help keep individuals in this category safe.
- Since immigration and job opportunity go hand-in-hand, The Bureau of Labor Statistics should review employment and skills needs on an annual basis. The number of work visas issued and the number of immigration opportunities available by job skill should reflect the current and immediate future needs of the country. This should be the largest area of new immigration after the reset.
- If an immigration policy post reset includes the opportunity for a citizen to sponsor a close family member’s application for immigration, we need to do a major process improvement project to find a way to make the process much more efficient. I know someone trying to immigrate this way, following the current process for legal immigration, and it’s been more than 10 years with no answer. We need to find a way to make this process very easy to understand and decisions should be clear and quick.
- This may be a point of contention, but to make the above immigration possibilities easier and more efficient, I propose an end to children born to non-citizens or permanent residents on U.S. soil becoming citizens. These children should have permanent resident status and will not be eligible to sponsor a close family members application for citizenship. Changing this provision will likely prevent pregnant women from crossing the boarder illegally to have their babies. Additionally, it would limit the number of applications through item 6, allowing that option to become more efficient for everyone else in that queue.
I believe this is a fair way to approach immigration that takes Democrat and Republican concerns into consideration. It provides a solution for Dreamers while also helping to secure borders in the future.
Bottom line, if the United States is to continue its heritage of immigration, we need to create a process with very clear rules that individuals can understand and follow to apply for citizenship. Further we must find a way to improve the process to create a much more efficient process.
Problem Solved. Okay, I realize this doesn’t immediately provide a solution to the immigration challenge facing the country, but perhaps it provides a framework to start some meaningful dialogue to move forward.
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