Length: 536 Words     Reading Time: 3 Minutes

I cannot understand how the issue of immigration has remained unresolved for so long and why it has become so politicized.

The Democrats want open borders so that they can change the demographic profile of America and achieve political dominance with the addition of new voters.

Open borders allow illegal immigrants; this is the correct legal term, not unauthorized immigrants or undocumented workers or other such euphemisms.   These new voters are expected to vote Democrat.

The Republicans are against open borders but want cheap labor for their allies in big business.  Neither party can focus on what policy is in the best interests of the American people who are citizens already.  

The conventional wisdom has it that America has about 11 million illegal immigrants, and this number has been reported for more than a decade.  No one knows what the actual population of illegal immigrants is.  Some organizations have attempted to estimate the number, using one or more statistical tools, but these analyses make assumptions that may or may not be valid.  Is 11 million correct or is 15 million or even 20 million a more accurate figure?  Again, no one knows for sure.  My take on this is that most forecasts constitute educated guesses, and they are usually wrong.

Moreover, no one knows what these illegal immigrants are engaged in and whether they are a net positive or net negative to American society.  These individuals remain a phantom group that no one understands.

For me, immigration is a matter of common sense and sound public policy.  It should not be a political issue. Immigration is a complex subject, but it can be resolved if we get rid of the jargon, the deliberate obfuscation, and the politics.

I agree that we cannot deport the illegal immigrants that are here, but we must not reward illegal immigrants for their unlawful behavior either.  To reward them is just spitting in the face of those individuals who followed the rules and became a U.S. citizen under the law.  That sort of reward would not be fair or equitable or right.

We can bring the illegal immigrants out of the darkness, but they must not be made citizens with all the attendant benefits.  I believe it takes a legal immigrant some five to seven years to become a citizen.  Using that as a basis, then set the bar at 12 years for illegal immigrants to become citizens.  The other changes to the immigration system should move in the direction of simplifying the rules and eliminating all the provisions for so-called anchor babies and chain migration.

Everyone who applies for permanent resident status should be handled on a case-by-case basis and on the merits of the case.  No one gets a free ride unless they are a bonafide refugee or an asylum seeker.

Here’s an idea worth considering: Any politician who politicizes immigration and is economical with the truth should be voted out of office.  Because, if they believe the nonsense they expound upon, then they are stupid.  If they do not believe the nonsense, but use it for political reasons, then they are charlatans.  The situation of politicians is binary, but the solution is easy.  Vote them out of office.