Friday, May 26, 2006

A "Compassionate" Compromise Solution for Illegal Immigration

Here's my solution to illegal immigration.

1. Seal the border for inbound traffic, let anybody who wants to go, go. Build the damn wall and put law enforcement personnel on it to watch for tunnels, climbers, floaters, or anyone else trying to get through. Do it on both land borders. There is no such thing as a "virtual wall". Any obstacle that isn't overwatched isn't an obstacle, it's a nuisance.

2. Establish a guest worker program that allows alien workers to be here for 9 months each year (the other 3 months they can go home to their families instead of bringing them here).

3. Organize the registration process for the guest worker program so it happens at U.S. Embassies and consulates outside this nation's borders, with applicants having to appear in person and give DNA samples, as well as other biometric data. Ensure there's a thirty day waiting period during which the applicant is called in at least once to the consulate/ embassy to provide a DNA sample to verify identity (making sure they aren't back in the US). During that 30 days, DNA and biometric data will be compared against all known criminal databases in the US to see if applicant has ever committed a crime in the US. What does this serve? First, an applicant must leave the US to be allowed to come back legally - which sends a very important message. Second, background/DNA/biometrics can lead to arrest of those who come back as known/suspected felons. Third, it provides incentive for illegals to leave, rather than relying on us catching them and enforcing the law (penalties below provide additional incentive).

4. Once an applicant is approved, he/she is issued an identity card with biometric and DNA data encoded on it so their identity can be verified with a fingerprint scan. This data must be checked by any potential employer, labor union, or job training program (fingerprint scanners are not that big an expense any more). Identity cards and biometrics will be checked at all border crossings to ensure the actual applicant is complying with the 9-month/year restriction.

5. One year after the first LEGAL guest worker is allowed into the US, it becomes a felony with mandatory five year sentence and immediate deportation for an illegal alien to be here in the US. During the five years, they'll perform hard labor for free to offset the legal income stolen from someone who follows the rules. No probation program of any kind. This is enforced regardless of the legal status of any children they may have dropped who became US citizens.

6. One year after the first legal guest worker is allowed into the US, the officers of any company failing to verify the legal status of any worker has committed a felony. Penalty: mandatory 25 year sentence, confiscation of all personal assets of the officer(s) involved. Forfeiture of all business assets if it is shown the business knowingly or systematically relied on illegal workers for their labor force.

7. One year after the first legal guest worker is allowed into the US, it is felonious for any labor union or similar organization to fail to verify the legal status of every member. Any union found to have granted membership to illegal workers without due diligence in verifying their identity will be dissolved and it's officers subject to the same penalties as the officers of corporations failing to verify status.

8. One year after the first legal guest worker is allowed into the US, any trade school, vocational program, apprenticeship, or other job training program must verify the legal status of applicants. Penalties similar to those for companies and unions.

9. Any officer of a company, union, or training program that fails to immediately report an illegal alien applicant to local police and INS will be subject to a felony conviction with one year & one day sentence.

10. Any state, county, or local governing body that fails to ensure its law enforcement agencies verify the legal status of every person arrested and charged will immediately forfeit every thin dime of federal funding provided to public entities in that jurisdiction - schools, construction programs, roads, etc.

11. Legal guest workers may simultaneously apply for legal immigration, and enter the line at its very end. They can, however, earn the opportunity to move towards the head of the line faster for each year they complete the program by the rules (which include obeying our laws).

12. Build a new federal prison in Gitmo for housing any illegal alien found guilty of committing any felony (other than being here illegally). They can serve their sentence outside the borders of this country and never return to it when their sentence is served. They can be immediately deported from Gitmo to their home country. If no country wants them back, they can stay there until they die.

13. Change the law (the constitution if necessary) to reflect that US citizenship can only be granted to children born here of parents who are US citizens or those here on any other Visa program EXCEPT the guest worker program.

What am I missing?