Original Article On MSNBC.Com HERE
Reading the article, I was at first excited a deal had been reached, then dismayed at some of the ‘requirements’ and ‘provisions’ in it. If the Statue Of Liberty could, I’d bet she’d be crying right about now. Never the less, it is, albeit a small, step forward. I honestly don’t expect this ‘deal’ to stay as-is for long. Certainly within the next year or so, it will be heavily modified to accommodate all those involved. Washington doesn’t really have a choice. They either do that, or risk riots from numerous groups who feel they aren’t being treated as they should be.
First, I can understand that border improvements, and a more secure/improved identification system needs to be created/improved upon first. No matter how badly countries like Mexico might complain about it, border control is needed in some places because the border is being taken advantage of. Likewise, the constant stream of identity theft news stories show us that our nation needs something better, to protect everyone involved. I still languished over the ‘fix this first before we do anything else,’ but in reality, we really don’t have a choice. To gain control over the situation again, we need to improve the systems of control, with the border and identification systems being two major systems.
The ‘point system?’ Well, I can perhaps see that for future immigration requirements, certainly. This might just satisfy the tech-sector, that for so long has demanded a better deal for skilled workers wanting to work in the United States. It may very well also encourage immigrants to learn more English before arriving, and to better proposition themselves with education. On the other hand, I hope that they meant for the point system to be used in future considerations. After all, when you look at the majority of immigrants, who come from much poorer countries like Mexico, they aren’t the best-educated people. Partly the reason they come to the US, is because there are many jobs that don’t require much education to begin with. Thus, the point system could be unfair to those already here.
The last major point to the agreement, was dealing with the illegal immigrants already in the United States. I can already see this as being a major problem, and to be honest, I don’t think anyone really tried with this… The ‘deal,’ would allow illegal immigrants to obtain a special visa, after paying ‘fees and a $5,000 fine.’ However, it would take anywhere between 8-13 years for this to happen AND they have to go back to their home country first?! THEN, on top of that, the border and identity issues have to be sorted our first? Was everyone on crack when they made the choice on this?! What immigrant, in her/his right mind, would agree to this?! It’s taken this long to even come to some sort of agreement on how to move forward… how much longer will it take for the two major issues to be resolved, before people can even apply to wait for their residency?!
What Else I Would Have Liked To See
I still say that a bit of public service would have been in order. Although I’m not saying every illegal immigrant should be automatically recruited into the Armed Forces, although that would certainly help our troop problem, more simpler things would certainly help. Things like feeding the homeless, teaching Spanish, or other things. Instead of charging outrageous fines, why not simply provide the alternative to performing some kind of service for the country? Asking for someone to work once a week for a few hours, in exchange for permanent residency doesn’t really sound that bad, does it?
I still say that English understanding should be required, at least on a basic level. For all intents and purposes, English is the majority language in this country. No, I don’t think English should be the ‘official’ language of the country, but it would make a lot of people more comfortable to know that language barriers would be eased. Then again, if schools just started teaching Spanish alongside English, the problem would probably be gone within a generation anyways. Still, with almost all government documents, departments, and rules in English, the issue now is possibly millions can not fully understand how this country works. Considering how hard many peoples work just to get here in the first place, I’d be willing to bet that asking them to at least understand the basics of English words/speech, wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
A better ‘fast-track’ for immigrants already in the US. I mean, come on… 8-13 years and all that other garbage for existing immigrants? That’s just absurd! That little point alone pretty much killed any ‘deal’ immigrants might have been willing to go through to become ‘legal!’ Again, asking for some public service should lesson the amount of time needed to become a permanent resident.
Final Thoughts
Yes, the issue of immigration for too long was totally ignored, which is why we’re dealing with such a massive ‘problem’ now. Never the less, when other presidents where faced with such issues, they stood up, and took action that made the history books for being tremendous positives. The Great Depression was one such horrible event, that was turned around to use the situation to move our country forward. Why can’t we do that now? We have millions of immigrants, and there are many, many things that would benefit both them, and the USA at the same time.
I think the biggest problem here, is that no one is really considering the immigrant’s issues. It’s all about making everyone else happy, isn’t it? Yet, there are certainly ways to help out everyone, not just one side or the other. I simply can not understand why an issue that should be so easy to deal with, is being treated like the most complicated issue ever dealt with throughout history!
When it boils down to it, the ‘easiest’ way to deal with this issue is to simply grant at least the majority of people permanent visas/residencies, and be done with it! The tax revenues alone from this would certainly help cover Bush’s increasing country deficit with the issues that come along with dealing with immigration. With the extra money, it could be used to:
- Get more funding into over-hauling our country’s ancient identification system.
- Strengthen our border security.
- Start education programs to help not only immigrants with issues such as English, but any adult wishing to improve themselves.
Finally, I don’t think this is truly the ‘end’ to the issue of illegal immigration. Not by a long shot! Certainly we’ll see more and more people voice their opinions on the matter. My hope is that we can all come together to find a solution that works for everyone, instead of just one side or the other.
