Just Let Them All In

I'll be honest...I don't know all there is to know about this proposed immigration bill that is being touted as the fix for America's illegal immigration issue. Obviously, I am in favor of strengthening border security, which this bill is supposed to do by creating a 370-mile, triple-layered fence between the United States and Mexico. I am in favor of anything that strenghtens the border. It's not illegal workers that I worry about as much as terrorists using our porous borders to carry out sinister deeds. But I digress...

Another aspect of this bill is to make English the national language and force new immigrants to take English classes. I understand that to some degree...but it's not a big deal to me really.

Anyway, the bill gets really odd with the three-tiers of citizenship eligibility. Those here five years or longer would be allowed to stay and apply for citizenship, provided they pay back taxes, learn English and have no serious criminal records. Those here two to five years would eventually have to return to another country and apply for a green card, which could allow their immediate return. The roughly 2 million immigrants who have been in the United States illegally for less than two years would be ordered home and be subject to deportation. Illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors would be deported no matter how long they have been in the United States.

First, rounding up 2 million illegal aliens and deporting them is impossible. Are they going to turn themselves in? Yeah, right. Second, how is someone going to prove they have been here for 5 years versus 3 years? Are we just trusting them? Why would they tell the truth?

At its very core, this bill rewards illegal aliens who have violated United States law for 5 years. Shouldn't that disqualify them from citizenship immediately? It also punishes people who have attempted to get into the United States by legal means. Why should they be forced to wait to get into this country because others cheated the system?

It seems pretty stupid to me. Obviously, if I have been in the country under 5 years, I'm going to lie. If I don't think I can lie my way in, I'm not going to turn myself. And people who would normally crack down on illegal workers are going to look the other way because we're providing amnesty to all the workers anyway...so what makes the difference. This is stupid...and is not the solution to our immigration problem.