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Immigration fixes must be humane and cost-effective


Our views

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OPINION

Probably the most serious problem facing the Bush administration today is immigration reform. The situation is so massive, tangled and inhumane to all involved that few in Washington are attempting to offer a solution.

The most unreasonable and unworkable suggestion frequently offered by local citizens and Washington leaders is the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

First of all, the number of illegal immigrants in this country is estimated to be 9 million. No one really knows the number, but if that is close to correct, it would cost about $8 billion to remove them over a period of five years.

Second, illegal residents are not visible; they look exactly like other citizens. Removal does not mean that a law officer walks up to someone and tells him or her they must go back to their native land. Those who are here illegally must be found, and their status must be proved in court.

While proving their status, they must be detained. That means providing more space in detention facilities that already are full. After their illegal status is proven, they can't then be released and told to go home. They have to be transported home under guard.

All of this process would require a tripling of law officers at all levels, immeasurable legal actions, new detention facilities and transportation. While all this is happening, new illegal immigrants would continue to flow in. It's totally unworkable.

Another idea frequently suggested is to close the borders. The U.S. Border Patrol has 9,500 employees to administer and patrol 8,000 miles of land and sea border. According to the federal government's Office of Personnel Management, about 45 percent of border patrol personnel resign during their first year of service, which indicates a high level of job dissatisfaction.

To completely close the border may seem feasible to some, but it is not a workable solution. It, too, would cost billions of dollars.

Immigrants risk their lives to come here because they can get jobs. If 9 million illegal immigrants are working at jobs in this country, what will it do to the economy to remove them?

Immigration opponents say that local workers would fill these jobs if illegal employees were removed. But the Georgia Mountains unemployment rate is currently at 4.2 percent, lower than both the state and national average. If a high number of local citizens are seeking jobs, they are doing so under the radar.

President Bush's suggestion of amnesty for illegal immigrants is opposed strongly by many Republicans, including 10th District Rep. Nathan Deal. He has authored a bill to prevent American citizenship from being granted automatically to babies who are born here to parents who are in the country illegally. But if parents of new babies have to provide papers to prove their citizenship, that would affect native-born Americans as well. The idea of all residents having to prove citizenship if they give birth doesn't set well.

Perhaps the best immigration solution has been offered by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. He has suggested letting illegal workers already in this country pay a fine, become part of a guest worker program and then become eligible for citizenship.

This is a good idea for those parents of children who already are American citizens. It also is a good idea for employees who have been here for years and have become an integral part of the country's work force.

But should illegal immigrants be fined with no penalty required of their employers? Immigration opponents complain that employers hire illegal citizens because they can pay them a lower salary.

But in our capitalist system, businesses must provide products at the lowest possible price in order to compete. We, as consumers, will not pay a higher price for an item that is made by American citizens. That was proven when U.S. labor unions tried to encourage consumers to buy only products with the "made in America" label.

Thus, when we discuss the problems posed by illegal immigration, we are not just talking about individuals. It involves our economy and our dependence on its stability.

Illegal immigration is not a problem isolated to the United States, yet another solution has been offered in the United Nations. That plan is to sell guest worker visas at a fee that undercuts the prices many charge for smuggling people across the border. Here, such human smugglers are called "coyotes;" in other countries, they're called "snakeheads." This kind of guest worker program is supposed to put them out of business, eliminating their dangerous smuggling practices.

A workable solution must be found, because illegal immigrants are living in an unknown shadowy world totally separate from their neighbors. When they are the victims of crimes, they cannot seek justice; if they commit crimes, we cannot seek retribution.

We may have to compromise on this situation, as we have on many others. In the meantime, the best thing we can do here is continue to keep order and get to know our neighbors a little better.

Originally published Sunday, October 16, 2005