So, I have an idea that I would like feedback on. So to start, we are all immigrants unless you are full blooded Indian. I believe in immigration and the American dream. I have seen firsthand in my experience companies who hire illegals and pay them cash under the table. I truly believe there are many illegal immigrants in this country who are here because they want a better life for them and their families. I absolutely love this country and I am absolutely a patriot. My idea is this. What if the good people who are here illegally had to go through a set time frame of good behavior and could then apply and become citizens. So it would go like this. They would first apply for a federal ID #. Not a SS# (because that would make them US citizens). Then they would have to abide by a set of rules. This could be adjusted however. For example, a 10 year period with no felonies or misdemeanors, no gang affiliations, must hold a job and pay taxes the entire time, no threats against US, etc. Like I said you could make the stipulations what you want. Then as long as they followed them (basically no living off the government, no crime, hold a job) they could apply and get their citizenship after the 10 years or said time frame. I truly believe that immigration should be possible for people who want a better life and ate only here for that and not to threaten our country or attack us from the inside. To completely deport every illegal would cost us billions. Why not let the good ones stay and help support the economy. As soon as anyone who applied for a federal ID committed a crime they would automatically be deported. I agree that we should start with the illegals who are criminals and in our jails and in gangs, then go from there. Please let me know what your thoughts are.
They have already broken the law by crossing the border illegally. If they come in the right way so they can be vetted, then yes. But since they have already broken the law by being here illegally then I think they have lost their opportunity for a life here. Besides that, there are just too many people here all at once AND IT IS UNSUSTAINABLE.
We should make it easier for immigrants who want a better life. The application process is costly. Additional fees should be done away with for applicants who already paid.
I totally agree those immigrants already here, who are chasing a better life, should receive opportunities to become citizens.
So yes I agree on the vetted part but that would be part of the process of applying for the federal ID#. It is going to cost billions to get rid of them all and a ton of time. If they aren’t willing to apply for the federal ID # then I guess we have our answer on their intentions. As far as sustainability, they are already here lol. If by working legally and paying taxes think of what that would do for our economy and deficit. We need to get rid of or stop the government from giving them free money and a free life. Let’s start there.
I agree to a point.
I know two guys who are EXTREMELY HONEST who overstayed their visas over 20 years ago. They have never committed a crime nor have they refused to pay taxes. They have an Employee Identification Number in lieu of a SS#. They have families here who are citizens. They work incredibly hard and add to my business. These are the people we want here; we do not want people who are here to game the system, commit crimes, or not pay taxes like the rest of us.
I say we vet the ones here already; if they pay taxes, work hard, and have no criminal history, then there should be an easier path to being a legal green card holder. After a trial period of being a legal resident here, then they may apply for citizenship.
We cannot reward people that broke the law by breaking the law and coming here illegally. This just encourages more people to come here illegally as well. There is a legal process that should be followed. Our Constitution is very clear and a secure border is necessary.
Although I was initially for – send them all back, I have since softened and take the following stance. If the person agrees to be properly vetted, and this process shows the person has created no serious felonies in his/her home country, and also agrees to assimilate into American culture, with the agreement that he/she remains on probation for such duration, creating no felonies or other acts against America, can show that he/she has a work history, can adequately speak English, and so forth, proving this person has or is in the process of assimilating and has become a valuable addition to America…then this person should be seen as an asset to America and not a liability, and should be granted SINGLE citizenship into our country. I would not have agreed to this before, but since our society has chosen to have so few children, setting us up for a top-heavy population of elders, with too few numbers in our successsive generations to be able to provide social services for our elderly citizens, we need a valuable injection of healthy Christian numbers from our own side of the planet, who have the fortitude to shake off the shackles of homeworld oppression (like we once did) and travel thousands of miles for a better life. This quality alone, filters out lazy grifters and brings with it a strong determination and will to succeed. Think about it.
We have immigration laws and processes. The illegals go home and get in line to enter correctly.
Maybe immigration needs to be one of the first department up for review. @ElonMusk [quote=“Joseph Cheney, post:1, topic:19289, full:true, username:Rainman”]
So, I have an idea that I would like feedback on. So to start, we are all immigrants unless you are full blooded Indian. I believe in immigration and the American dream. I have seen firsthand in my experience companies who hire illegals and pay them cash under the table. I truly believe there are many illegal immigrants in this country who are here because they want a better life for them and their families. I absolutely love this country and I am absolutely a patriot. My idea is this. What if the good people who are here illegally had to go through a set time frame of good behavior and could then apply and become citizens. So it would go like this. They would first apply for a federal ID #. Not a SS# (because that would make them US citizens). Then they would have to abide by a set of rules. This could be adjusted however. For example, a 10 year period with no felonies or misdemeanors, no gang affiliations, must hold a job and pay taxes the entire time, no threats against US, etc. Like I said you could make the stipulations what you want. Then as long as they followed them (basically no living off the government, no crime, hold a job) they could apply and get their citizenship after the 10 years or said time frame. I truly believe that immigration should be possible for people who want a better life and ate only here for that and not to threaten our country or attack us from the inside. To completely deport every illegal would cost us billions. Why not let the good ones stay and help support the economy. As soon as anyone who applied for a federal ID committed a crime they would automatically be deported. I agree that we should start with the illegals who are criminals and in our jails and in gangs, then go from there. Please let me know what your thoughts are.
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“Wanting a better life” does not make you entitled to it.
If I “want a better life”, that doesn’t excuse my behavior if I commit criminal acts.
This does sound good on its surface, but whenever you propose policy you have to ask yourself what you’re incentivizing. There are a lot of people who want to enter the US and there is a challenging process of vetting they have to go through. Do you want people going through that process or not? Maybe the process needs to be easier. That’s something you can and should address once you have a controlled border, but the question is, “Do you want people going through some kind of a process or none at all?”
If we say “let the good ones stay” what we’re saying is, “Don’t go through the process. The process is more of a suggestion really. If you don’t commit crimes, we’ll let you stay regardless.” You see, if you do that you’re incentivizing people to avoid your process and break into your country unvetted. That’s a dangerous incentive to set. If people break the law to come in, it should be at least as hard for them to gain residency and citizenship as if they came in the proper way. If it’s easier then that’s how you’re telling the world to do it.
So I’m not sure if you misunderstood me or not but everyone would go through the process. I’m only saying that there are millions here already and to remove them all would cost billions. So save some money, focus on the criminals first. You could either spend billions deporting them or make money by letting them stay and pay taxes and help our economy. I agree they have done an illegal act but if that is what you are going on alone then 90% of government would be in prison for their crimes. My point is basically moving forward do we spend the billions removing all of them or let them help our economy by paying taxes. It will take years anyway to remove them all. I certainly understand the point that you are almost encouraging more to do the same but if the borders are secure moving forward there should be minimal entries. I am just try to find the best solution for the situation we are in.
We both agree that you have to secure the border before you can even think about what to do with people already here. That’s the most important point. If the government did entertain something like what you’re saying, and I’m still pretty suspicious of it as a policy given the mixed messages it sends about our commitment to our own process, they would first have to establish the process as a non-precedent… which would be really hard to do. Like 10 years down the line when another administration lets another few million people into the country what is going to be your argument that those “good ones” deserve a different treatment from the current “good ones”? I don’t see a good argument to use for different treatment then, so this becomes a pattern, and the best way to get into the country is wait for a friendly administration and avoid the process.
When I say “avoid the process” you might think I’m not hearing you. I am. You say they still have to go through the process, but at that point it’s more of a formality. In reality they wouldn’t have the benefits of living here, and they’d have a pretty low probability of succeeding if they following the proper procedure. Instead they’ve skipped the line and are living here as unofficial citizens who are going to succeed more often than average… because if they didn’t we’re still talking about deporting most of them eventually. So they’ve cheated the system even if they still have to fill out some paperwork.
A friend of my family from the Dominican Republic says these illegals all need to go. This person spent years and over $8000 on attaining her legal citizenship here. She says if she can do it then everyone else can do it too and if they come illegally they are stabbing legal immigrants like her in the back.
Anyone who is in the country illegally is by definition a criminal.