We Don't Need A Wall

The issue of immigration has always been contentious in this country but particularly now that President Trump is in office.  He ran on a platform of building a wall and keeping out illegal immigrants, but a wall does more than keep out illegals; it sends a signal to the world that "outsiders" are not welcome here.  That is probably not the message that most Americans want the world to receive.

So, rather than building a wall, why not just reform our immigration laws?  Right now we have a quota system, and it has never been a fair system.  From the very beginning it was designed to keep certain people out, not to be inclusive of those in need.  Jews, Irish, Chinese, Germans, Italians, Puerto Ricans, Haitians, Cubans, Mexicans and many others have been singled out over the years as being groups who were undesirable and unwelcome in this country.  Yes, these people are now part of the fabric of this country and have added to the greatness of this nation.

Limiting immigrants to only "those we want" (wealthy, well-educated and from first-world nations) and not allowing "those we don't want" (poor, Latino/dark-skinned from third-world countries) is not the way we need to handle this problem.  But we also have to address the very real issue of Americans who feel that their jobs are in jeopardy from immigrants taking lower pay to do the same job.  Particularly in areas where unemployment is very high, seeing immigrants moving ahead is hard to swallow.  Those feelings are valid and must be addressed.

To that end, I propose an overhaul of the system that would be more fair to everyone; both immigrants and Americans.  For the immigrants, we have a more open system, but one that requires a paper trail.  Illegal immigrants will only be those who refuse to follow the administrative course that will be required for entry into this country.  For anyone who goes through the proper channels, they will be allowed in (with few exceptions) and will be allowed to stay so long as they obey the rules.

The process is fairly simple; anyone who wishes to emigrate to the United States would visit the nearest US Embassy (or its website) and complete and application.  That application would include a small fee that would be used to process the application.  Most importantly, a background check would be done on the applicant, looking for evidence of violent crimes.  Note that stealing food to feed the family is not a "violent" crime.  People with records of rape, attempted murder, assault, battery and the like are not the people we need in this country.  Those applicants would be denied.  Anyone without a record would be allowed in.

The next step is a medical checkup.  Immunizations must be up to date.  Those would be arranged through the embassy for a small fee.  We don't need sick people bringing disease into our country.  Lastly, the applicant must have a sponsor in America.  A person, family, church or organization that is willing to accept them.

Once the paperwork is done and accepted and the immunizations are completed, the person will be allowed to enter the country.  In their first week they must report to the local police station and register as a legal immigrant.  They will need an address and phone number where they can be reached, and if they move, they must report their new information within one week.  This registration will allow them to apply for a social security number and a driver's license.

From the date they enter the country, they will have six months to either begin working full-time or be accepted to school full-time.  No one will be allowed to stay in the country if they are not working to better themselves.  Every six months they must report to the police department and check in to ensure that we always know where they are and what they are doing.  They must file their income tax return on time every year, and that must be shown to the police.  Once they have filed fifteen federal income tax returns, they would be eligible for citizenship.

The major change in this system is what they cannot do.  No immigrant will be allowed to collect any public benefit until they have filed fifteen federal income tax returns.  This means ALL welfare programs are off limits.  Even if a woman comes into this country and gets pregnant from an American, unless he has custody of the child, she and the child are not allowed any public benefits.  No immigrant would be eligible for government grants for school, they could not apply for any Obama Care programs, they cannot collect any welfare.  If they have worked and they are laid off, they would be allowed to collect unemployment, but only to the amount that they have paid into the system.

This change in our system is more fair to the Americans while allowing immigrants to enter our country without the fear of being illegal.  It would allow them a path to citizenship while not taking benefits from hard-working Americans.  It would show us as a country that is welcoming to those in need, not a nation that builds walls to keep them out.