Thread: A common sense solution for immigration

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A common sense solution for immigration

By: John Cox | Published on 05/25/07

Let's begin by framing the issue of immigration. Mexico and many other countries nearby the U.S. have corrupt or less than competent governments, which are reflected in a significant lack of economic progress for their people. Given the lack of economic growth, employment opportunities are lacking and the cost of living is low, relative to the United States.

"Our burgeoning prosperity creates the opportunity to spend our resources on myriad services, all of which require a continuous stream of labor..."

Meanwhile, close by to the north, we enjoy a very strong economy, with a strong environment for investment and equally strong employment opportunities. Further, due to the productivity of our people and the strength of our economy, our cost of living is much higher than our neighbors to the south and our dollar buys a lot more in their country than it does in ours.

What this imbalance sets the stage for is the clear incentive for employees to migrate north to take whatever jobs are available at almost whatever wages are available. If we look north, the problem doesn't present itself, since the employment opportunities in Canada are pretty good and the cost of living is roughly similar to ours.

Not only do we have employment opportunities, we have a pretty generous and entrenched welfare state that offers a lot of attraction to persons coming from a far less generous country. Medical services, education, work training, social services are but some of the bennies reasonably available to not only the workers themselves but their families, which multiplies the burden.

Not only are there enticements for government sponsored benefits, there are also enticements for less than savory activities. Some percentages of the crowd coming over the border are criminals who welcome the opportunity to not only practice their craft on the population already here but clearly relish the opportunity to commit crimes against the population here illegally. Since the latter are 'in the shadows', they are extremely hesitant to report crime.

At the same time, the growing economy in the U.S. requires human labor in order to fuel its growth. Our burgeoning prosperity creates the opportunity to spend our resources on myriad services, all of which require a continuous stream of labor, much of it low skilled and readily available at a cheap price. Meanwhile, global competitive pressure makes it essential to keep costs low in most industries, lest domestic production be overtaken by cheaper exports. This is readily evident in fields such as agriculture, where commodities such as fruits and vegetables are grown in other areas with low cost structures, such as South America, and American production must keep its costs and prices low to compete effectively.

Into this economic stew is stirred in the inevitable attraction to politics and political action. Unions are incentivized by dues collection to organize and sign up as many of the new workers as they can; political action groups representing workers and immigrants in general can raise money and raise awareness of their activities by noisily attracting the attention of the media; politicians seeking office and political power are all too willing to offer their support to groups on either side of the issue. Most honestly are seeking a solution to the problem but they just as clearly benefit from the controversies that ensue.

Clearly, this situation is damaging to people on both sides of the border. Those to the north see increased government burdens, unfair competition, higher crime and less assimilation and community involvement. Those to the south left behind see continued economic despair temporarily dampened for the lucky few who have relatives willing to risk all and who send back money for their living needs.

What is the answer? Clearly it is the best interests of both countries to solve this problem and fast for the reasons set forth. Here are some common sense elements of the solution:


1. Reflecting the security concerns of those living along the border, a fence should be built near populated areas and where farms and ranches are threatened. This should be done as expeditiously and as inexpensively as possible. Increased border patrols on a temporary basis would also appear called for.

2. Employers need to be given the tools to determine if prospective employees are in the country legally; there need to be instituted clear penalties that are enforced by prosecutors on the business executives and those responsible for the illegal hiring. These could be transitioned over a given time frame, say three years, to provide businesses with the opportunity to fill the vacant positions with new legal immigrants.

3. The immigration bureaucracy needs to be overhauled so as to be both technologically smooth and market driven so as best as we can match up labor demand to labor supply. It should not take 8-10 years to get into the country to work; skill levels should be considered as well as family ties.

4. There will be no respect for the law going forward if illegal conduct is condoned. As tough as it may sound, the immigrants who came in illegally who have transitioned out of employment have to be required to go back to their native country and immediately apply for re-entry. They would be given preference over anyone who filled out immigration forms after the effective date of the legislation so they are not disadvantaged. They will not be happy but they have broken the law; they have gotten the benefit of cutting in line ahead of others but now have to recognize that it is only fair to give others they cut in front of a chance.

5. The government of the United States should enter into a dialogue with Mexico and other Latin American countries relative to encouraging economic growth and fostering more opportunities for their citizens in their own countries. The US should take a leading role in this because it will ultimately redound to our benefit - if those countries do better economically, the pressure for illegal immigration will abate and they will be better customers for US made products.

Like any great compromise, this one will have persons on each side of the divide who are unhappy. What we have to do is work towards a long term solution. The respect for the law, justice for those who have waited in line, the need for workers in a growing economy and the need to keep families together as much as possible all have to be balanced. No solution is perfect but we cannot give in to the loudest or most aggressive elements of either side. Common sense and a long term sense of purpose and fair play should win the day in the end.

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Congress needs to focus on one issue at a time - not good a multi tasking . . . well for that matter, not good at ANYTHING!! Just think if they corrected the border problem first, how much more logical it would be to then move on to the next issue. Secure the border first, then we will discuss the next step!! Makes sense to me.