The Immigration Problem, Requires An American Solution.

Last night, MSNBC aired a Town Hall Format discussion called Beyond Borderlines hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell which tackled the issue of illegal immigration. The event was hosted by the University of San Diego and invited several immigration reform proponents, celebrities, an Immigration Enforcement Director and even actual illegal immigrants on stage to discuss their views.

For the most part, the presentation was honest and fair with special care to ensure that all sides of the argument had an opportunity to openly support their positions.  O'Donnell made a case for illegal immigrants with the presentation of an illegal immigrant who was brought here by his family as a child. He explained how this kid had attended US schools, and universities and obtained a degree in business management but was now unable to seek employment in his field of study because of his legal status.  He then presented the question to viewers about whether in this special case, the young non-documented man could be considered an American.

O'Donnell also presented the story about a meat packing town in Nebraska which has seen a recent flood mexican immigrants and experienced job displacements and increases in costs for emergency services, school lunch programs, education and even increases in criminal activity.  They also took a trip in history with the story of the Irish immigration experience, and the gateway that was Ellis Island in New York all the way to the culmination of Irish acceptance in mainstream America with the election of President Kennedy. 

I think both sides of the debate presented legitimate arguments in support of their cause, but the truth is that illegal immigration in this country remains very sensitive topic for many Americans.  Like many of our countries previous conundrums, there is an opportunity to flex some ingenious muscle and show some genuine American grit.  The type of emblematic problem solving capabilities that made us the first atomic superpower, won us the race to moon and made is the victors of a decades long cold war.  

Ok, I may be fluffing the issues a bit, but if all the coverage over Arizona's legislation and the recent supreme court decision is any indication of how relevant this topic is, then there may some merit to my fluffing. What kind of American solution will it take to fix this American problem? 

First, this problem will require general acceptance that a paradigm shift is required by all before we find deliverance. The "Send'em All Back-ers" and "Amnesty-Callers" have to understand that their approach is exclusionary and out of date.  Sending them all back, is simply unrealistic, and offering amnesty to all really is a slap in the face to our laws and by affiliation, every law abiding citizen of our country.  A true solution will have to incorporate ideas and concessions by both sides.  In our country, changing popular ideologies is a painstakingly slow process. Do you recall the abolition of slavery, woman's suffrage, and the modern civil rights movement?

Second, we cannot condone violations of our federal laws, but as Americans, we're inheritors of a country founded on immigration and descendants of people who sailed entires oceans for the opportunity to find prosperity.  For this reason, though we cannot condone illegal immigration we should understand why it occurs.  After all, illegal immigrants are here because even the most low-paying, low-skilled job is a substantial upgrade in the quality of life back at home.

With those two statements out of the way, here's how we fix it.  Cut $50 Billion dollars out of the defense budget and use it to hire more border agents and increase measures to secure the border.  Stopping the influx of illegal immigrants at the border is crucial.  Congress has already been presented with an option to cut the defense budget by $100 Billion.  This simply redirects some of that money towards immigration.  Sure, it takes $50 Billion away from the overall savings reduction on our deficit, but it is for a cause that will likely have large support from the voting public. That in itself may be enough political leverage to get both Democrats and the GOP to agree on the allocation.

Next, we have to address the illegal immigrant population already within our borders.  Americans have legitimate concerns about the dangerous criminals that have made it into our cities.  The gang violence and its connections to the Mexican drug cartels is well documented in cities like El Paso, TX and Phoenix, AZ.  However, this is strictly a law enforcement issue. We need to empower these law enforcement agencies with funding and technology to enforce existing federal laws, and when I say "we" this especially refers to Obama's Administration and US Attorney's Office.  This presents another dilemma.

Arizona passed legislation  this past year that sent everyone across the country into a frenzy. Its true that the law simply enforces existing laws but some citizens, especially those with hispanic features, feared that they would be experience harassment by the authorities. How do you get these people on board with  increasing the crackdown on illegal immigrants?  My suggestion is to offer a pathway to citizenship that is comprehensive.  I know, I know, all my conservative friends are removing me from their Facebook friends list at this point, but wait.

Illegal immigrants are already here, they are earning tax free salaries and sending billions of dollars back into Mexico virtually supporting significant percentages of the southern country's economy.  If we offer these individuals conditional amnesty we can ease the economic burden illegal aliens case on our economy.  The conditions would be that they would have to prove that they've been in this country for more than five years. They would have to register with the federal government and submit to fingerprint scans, and background checks domestically and from their country of origin. As penalty for entering the country illegally they will forfeit all income taxes paid according to their rate of taxation and are not entitled to any tax refunds or unemployment benefits for 5 years.  Place a 10% tariff on money sent into Mexico.

If the number of illegal immigrants really is 12 million and only half that amount participate in this amnesty program that's 6 million people providing practically free revenue to the Federal Government for at least five years.  This could help offset some of that health care bill cost and possibly even contribute the deficit reduction.  Not to mention that it creates a legal tax paying low-skilled, low-cost work force to perform jobs that most Americans are unwilling to do anyway.

I'm pretty sure my idea may seem simplistic, but I'm hoping it gets some ideas flowing so that the good ones trickle up to our lawmakers.  What are you ideas?