Illegal Immigration

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

Right now, the total number of illegal immigrants in this country is about 10 times the prison population. The suggestion that we can resolve the illegal immigrant problem through a law enforcement solution is pure madness. We created this situation by turning a blind eye to illegal immigration, and now we have to live with it. The only solution that will work is to allow those illegal immigrants who entered the country due to our negligence to obtain legal status and eventually become citizens. Anything else, such as deporting them all or putting them all in prison, would be pure madness.

[Critters2]

1. Have you considered sanctions against employers?

That's the obvious course. Force them to pay a living wage. This is all about cheap labor. Make that labor less cheap, and make corporations pay a fair wage, and watch the problem go away.

[Duer 157099]

2. I second that

Really nothing more to say, because that sums it up perfectly imho

[PsN2Wind]

5. Good post

If we solved the illegal employment situation the illegal immigration problem would solve itself. I think the ICE would probably only need to tear up the licenses of a few contractors, or shut down a few packing houses, before these employers of illegals would see the error of their ways.
Just a note to those that will show up screaming xenophobe, I've worked at several of those jobs "citizens won't do". However I was represented by The Amalgamated Meatcutters and Butcherworkers, by the United Slate, Tile and Waterproofers, and by the Maintenance of Way Employees unions.

[tularetom]

3. When wages in the US are depressed to third world levels

illegal immigration will cease. As bad as things are now, we are still light years ahead of underdeveloped countries in pay to our workers. However as more and more jobs are outsourced and only low paying service sector jobs remain, wages for those jobs will be forced downward. When this happens what's the point of anyone coming here illegally? Or at all? Countries in Europe will be talking about building walls to keep out the flood of illegal immigrants from the USA.

[wildhorses]

4. give them ss# and get them in our tax base immediately

how hard is it to figure out:shrug:



























:hide:

[UTUSN]

6. "deporting/ prison / madness". Unfortunately,our deciders screw things up more with their decidering

Dedication: To TANCREDO, "TEX" SENSENBRENNER, O'LOOFAH, MALKIN, the Minutemen, et al. (Note: SENSENBRENNER hates being called "TEX". Don't have nuthin' to do with "Texas." He's the heir to KOTEX.)



A stack of U.S. visas, above, is sorted recently at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico.
Denis Poroy/The Associated Press

*******QUOTE*******

http://www.themonitor.com/news/border_2405___article.ht...

Bypassed at Border: Inspectors aren’t using technology, claiming laser visas cause backups at international crossings

By Elliot Spagat
The Associated Press/The Monitor
May 15, 2007 - 11:20PM

SAN DIEGO — The face- and fingerprint-matching technology that has been touted over the past decade as a sophisticated new way to stop terrorists and illegal immigrants from entering the country through Mexico has one major drawback: U.S. border inspectors almost never use it.

In fact, the necessary equipment is not even installed in vehicle lanes along the border. ....

Jeffrey Davidow, U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 1998 to 2001, recalls members of Congress visiting the border to see the machines, which were never used when the lawmakers were gone.

“I’d tell them that it was all show, that it doesn’t work, that the card is not doing what it’s supposed to do,” Davidow said. He said his warnings elicited shrugs.

There were also technological setbacks. Equipment to verify photos and fingerprints often failed to read through sweat, scratches and other wallet “crud,” according to an internal Homeland Security report.

A test at five Texas crossings in the spring of 2004 showed that 731 out of 1,740 cards, or 42 percent, were unreadable, according to the report, which was provided to The Associated Press by someone who insisted on anonymity because the government did not authorize its release. ....


http://www.themonitor.com/news/border_2429___article.ht...

Costly visa technologies little used here

Area officials wonder: Is it needed or is it money wasted?
Kyle Arnold and Matt Whittaker
May 16, 2007 - 10:58PM

.... When Congress approved the laser visa system in 1996, proponents touted laser visas, which store so-called biometric information, as the next step in securing American borders from unwanted visitors like potential terrorists, drug smugglers and illegal immigrants. However, an AP article Tuesday said U.S. Customs and Border Protection only checks about 2 percent of all laser visa holders using the digital fingerprint and face matching technology. ....

A $28.6 million contract for laser visa technology was awarded to Virginia-based General Dynamics Corp., which has recently received another contract for $28.5 million, according to the AP article. ....

Inspecting laser visas without looking at the biometric information is no better than “looking at somebody’s driver’s license or library card,” she said. “The country invested a lot of money to bring the system up to date. It’s just amazing that they have gone to this expense … and made border crossers pay a lot of money for ... a card that we don’t even know how to use or don’t use,” she said. ....

In 2001, Mexicans who shopped in McAllen, Brownsville, Laredo and El Paso bought about $3.2 billion worth of goods — roughly 19 percent of all retail sales along the Texas border and 1.9 percent of the state’s retail sales, according to Dallas Fed data. ....

********UNQUOTE*******

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

8. Thanks for posting that article

I had missed that earlier.

[Matsubara]

7. None of them should be put into prison. They aren't the criminals.

However, they are here illegally, and they should be deported. Employers who hire them are the criminals, and they need to be investigated and punished more thoroughly.

Two major amnesties have already been given in the last 20 years or so. It has not helped.

Bringing in millions of people who will work for subminimum wages can ONLY put downward pressure on wages for all working people.

[Robson]

9. Open the borders, seaports, & bring in 5 BIL who live in 3rd world countries & compete with CHINA

Just a suggestion.

Voila....there will be no more outsourcing, no more America, no more world class economy, but we will be competitive with CHINA, and some on DU will initially be very happy with our open door immigration policy before reality sets in.