What Do We Do With Them?

The recent congressional activity on immigration - illegal and legal - has raised a most onerous question ... what do we do with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants who are already in the country?

How do we estimate how many are here anyway? If they're illegal, or "undocumented," how would anyone have any idea how many there may be? I think the real answer is ... we don't! Estimates are just that, estimates ... educated guesses ... no more, no less. The number may be much larger or it may be much smaller. Is it in the millions? No doubt.

After we've secured the borders with a fence or unmanned surveillance technology or a border patrol agent every 50 yards, how do we deal with the millions that are already here? There are only a few options, and even less that make practical sense.

1. Round them up and send them back.
While, technically, this is what we should do, how practical a proposition is it? Would the effort and cost be worthwhile? How long would it take to accomplish? And what would it accomplish? The immediate result would be a shortage of unskilled labor. The price of food, housing, and domestic services would immediately rise. Supplies would also initially diminish. Eventually, legal immigrants and entry-level workers would pick up the slack but, because they're hired "above the table," their wages (including those pesky employment taxes "paid" by the employer) would be higher than what these employers are currently paying. The supply would eventually increase, but prices would stay at a higher level as the supplier's costs have risen.

2. Grant Them Amnesty
Regardless of the moral issue with rewarding illegal activity, what would a general amnesty accomplish? Let's see, didn't we try this before, back in the 1980's? Oh yeah, that was when we only estimated we had 2 or 3 million illegal immigrants. And now we have how many? Condoning the behavior we want less of will only encourage more of the same behavior. If today we grant amnesty to 11 million, how many millions more will be here in another 20 years? 20 million? 30 million?

3. Allow Them to Stay, But Put Obstacles in Their Way
One of the proposals Congress is kicking around is this "guest worker" program. Loosely translated, let them stay here, fine them for being here illegally (more like charge them for the privilege of being a "guest" worker), let them continue to work, initiate background checks, fine employers astronomical amounts if they hire someone who has not registered as a "guest" worker, place all "guest" workers at the end of the line when it comes to legal immigration, and if they don't get a valid green card within a specified period of time, send them home.

I'm sure there are more options, but let's just stick to these three for now. Unfortunately, I don't like either of the last two ... why? Because they both award criminal behavior ... the illegal immigrants get what they want most, employment opportunities. The vast majority of these folks don't want to become American citizens - they just want to work, earn money, send it home to the families they left behind, and, at some point in the future, head home. If they really wanted to become citizens, they would respect the fact we're a country of laws and would follow them. In addition, these options will only result in more of the same behavior from others contemplating entering the country illegally.

The only just solution, in my mind, is the first solution. Oh, it might take years, but with significant penalties for employers who hire "undocumented" workers and a few INS stops at the local 7-Elevens, the vast majority of these folks can be rounded up and sent home. In addition, we should require public schools and universities to verify that the parents of all students are legal residents. If they're not, off they go ... and the "legal" children should go as well. Children born in the US of illegal immigrants should not be granted automatic US citizenship!

But what about the economy? What about all those jobs that Americans "won't do?" Most of this is just rationalization and whining. Where there's a will, there's a way. The supply of unskilled workers will catch up with the demand. Unemployment will be (believe it or not) even lower than it is now and our borders will be secure and only those who respect our laws will be allowed to stay.

Under the law of unintended consequences, I'm sure we'll also find more than our share of terrorists ... something that can only strengthen our national security.