We could have a functioning immigration system if we had a functioning Congress
Lynn Woolley at the U.S. Capitol on June 21, 2020 (Photo by Julie Sullivan for WBDaily)
There are two kinds of problems that Congress faces.
Type One is something beyond their control such as sneak attacks like 9/11. Type Two is pretty much everything else – stuff that we can’t solve because they can’t function.
The National Debt is Type Two. It’s well within Congress’ power to get spending under control. But they bicker and never do it. Immigration, on the other hand, is also Type Two, but far simpler.
With a functioning Congress, with both parties interested in what’s best for the country, it should take a couple of hours to get it done. But they’ve had years. Decades. And when President Reagan tried to make a deal, the Democrats crossed him. What’s good for the county is not always what’s good for Democrats or Republicans. And because of that Congress will continue not to function.
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Let’s see if we can solve the immigration issue in a couple of minutes.
Let’s stipulate that the Democrats are right on some things and the Republicans on others. So, if we’re going to craft a policy to supersede existing law, we ought to decide which policies are best, and write a “comprehensive” law that works best for the country and abides by the Constitution.
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Let’s start with the Democrats. They’ve always insisted that immigrants are our neighbors and they come here to work and forge a new life. They say we need immigrants to do the work Americans won’t do such as picking fruit, cleaning hotel rooms, and working in construction. They say that some, claiming asylum, come to our shores fearing they may be imprisoned or killed in their own countries. Democrats often call for a “path to citizenship.” I’m willing to agree to these things.
Now let’s look at Republicans. They’ve always believed that America’s borders should be secured, and that anyone who comes in must do it legally. That means with permission from our government and after having been vetted for diseases and criminal background. Republicans believe there should be limits on how many people are allowed in each year, and that chain migration is problematic. They tend to believe that many asylum claims (if not most) are bogus. They often believe that immigrants who intend to remain here ought to assimilate, speak English, and not be a burden to our welfare system. These are all reasonable and we should all stipulate to them.
Areas where the two parties will have to work it out.
Our non-functioning Congress rarely functions at all on the issue of immigrant crime. Democrats all but deny it and Republicans highlight the worst. Here, the Republicans clearly have the high ground. The statistics that Democrats roll off saying that immigrants are less likely than citizens to commit heinous crimes is irrelevant. Someone murdered by an immigrant was not killed by statistics, and this is a category of crime that does not have to be tolerated.
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The other main issue of disagreement often finds Republicans siding with virtually all Democrats: Birthright Citizenship. Strangely, judges have ruled incorrectly on this issue so many times, that few people look at what the Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment were trying to accomplish. It is ludicrous to assume that they looked into the future and wanted foreign nationals to come into America to have a baby that would be granted instant citizenship.
No; the Fourteen Amendment was intended to prevent southern states from refusing citizenship to former slaves. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to get our non-functioning Congress to understand this, but it’s necessary to have a functioning immigration system.
Page 384 from “The Heritage Guide to the Constitution.” Note the first graph.
Members of Congress are going to have to agree that criminal aliens must be kept out of the country through vetting, and when that fails, they must be prosecuted or deported, depending on the crime. They also will have to agree that constitutional Birthright Citizenship is not applicable to those who come into our country illegally – or legally. These are sticking points, but we can’t get anywhere until we deal with them.
You can now begin to see how easy a functioning immigration system would be if we had a functioning Congress.
Let’s look at what would be good for the country.
We need immigrants. But we don’t need unlimited immigrants. We should set quotas for the immigrants we need, whether it’s farm workers or nuclear physicists. These should be based on data from the industries that need these workers. Every immigrant – no exceptions – must come into the United States legally and be vetted. If they come just to work, they should know some English from the commonsense standpoints of safety and being part of our society. If they are applying to earn citizenship, then fluent English is a must.
Workers would get green cards that could be renewed each year so long as they commit no crimes and do not become a burden to society. Those who come here to study or work through visas would be carefully monitored so they don’t overstay.
The process for all this ought to be far simpler, but U.S. immigration laws must be strictly adhered to or the result would be deportation. Note that this would end ICE’s immigration raids, or severely curtail them since virtually all immigrants would have some type of legal status. Asylum claims would have to be vetted as well, and realizing that millions of people would like to come here, we’d have to set high standards.
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Here’s what should not be part of any comprehensive bill.
It should include no notion of immigration as a way to grant either party an election advantage. It should not allow welfare and entitlements meant for citizens to be provided to millions of non-citizens, based on the fact that we can’t afford that. Chain migration, which has proven to be counterproductive should not be part of our system, though family members (other than spouses and children) could individually apply.
It’s not that hard. If we had a functioning Congress.
We need unskilled and some skilled labor. Let’s bring it in. We don’t need illegal alien criminals. Let’s keep them out. Let’s bring in who we need in the numbers we need, and let’s make sure they obey our laws. Let’s create a reasonably stringent path to citizenship for those who prove they would make good Americans, and who would assimilate. That means speaking English, and unlike the odious Ilhan Omar, professing to love this country.
Birthright Citizenship will be the toughest hurdle. The rest is easy. We need laws that make sense for America and that prospective immigrants can understand and follow. Let’s make it easier to emigrate, easier to come here to work or study, but much harder to do it illegally.
All it takes is a functioning Congress that puts party needs aside and works for the good of the country. But that’s something we don’t have.
Lynn Woolley is a Texas-based author, broadcaster, and songwriter. Follow his podcast at https://www.PlanetLogic.us. Check out his author’s page at https://www.Amazon.com/author/lynnwoolley.
Order books direct from Lynn at https://PlanetLogicPress.Square.Site. Email Lynn at lwoolley9189@gmail.com.
The plot of this book functions so well, that you may not be able to put it down. Order now and find out why!
