Undocumented Mess

 It is generally agreed that our American borders are dysfunctional.  By any standard or measure they are not effective. During recent decades our borders were not a top priority issue for the government. They were sadly neglected and we are suffering the consequences. Years of uncontrolled immigration has taken a toll on our nation.

We are dealing with a huge number of people (we don't really know how many) who use our country's infrastructure; roads, parks, public schools, police departments, courts, jails, fire departments, hospitals and other health care facilities,  and many other tax supported institutions. These illegal aliens are, for the most part, undocumented workers that do not pay their full share of taxes to support the publicly funded elements of our society.  This has created an extra burden for our legal, tax paying citizens. The question now is what to do about it.

It is the Federal Governments responsibility. They are supposed to protect our borders,  prevent illegal entry to our country, and carry out the laws that apply to them. The Federal Government has failed. It has not and is not effectively doing any of these things, and now there is an awful mess to correct. 

Most illegal residents are wonderful, hard working people. They adhere and respect all of our other laws and it would be fundamentally wrong (and very difficult) to round them all up and deport them to their country of origin.

Okay, so what should be done.

The nation's immigration laws need to be revisited, and those without the accompanying teeth of enforcement must be changed.

Erecting fences on our southern border makes no common sense whatever. It leaves thousands of miles of open coastline available to someone that wants to evade our legal entry requirements.

The millions of illegal immigrants, some who have lived within our borders for more than 90 years, must be given two years to:

1.  Register with our immigration authority.

2.  Learn enough of the English language to read and understand our

       nation's founding documents. 

3.  Renounce any other citizenship they may have.

4.  Take an oath of American citizenship.

If they choose not to become American citizens they should be granted two more years to pick up and leave our country.

5.  The illegal immigrants that have committed a felony during the two

     year registration period, should be tried in our legal system.

6.  Those convicted should be incarcerated within America.

7.  On completion of their sentence they should be turned over to the 

     police of their country of origin

8.  And forbidden to ever visit the United States again.

There needs to be a provision that we allow temporary 1 year visas for immigrants who wish to find work in America and then return to their country of origin. There should be a six month waiting period before they can apply for another temporary 1 year visa.

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Comment: It would take a brave elected representative  to vote on such a program. So brave that it is probably impossible.

Yet, something needs to be done - and quickly.

***This is an unfinished blog and needs work.