a reply to:
purplemer
You're not wrong. Sadly, this is the paradigm everything is framed in these days.
What can be done to change that? I'm all ears, and would love a solution because I know a lot of people on the left (moderate Democrats, libertarians,
classical liberals) also want to do good in this country.
Surely there are many issues we can compromise/agree to disagree on. Of course there are some issues, like anything protected by the BOR (including
free speech, guns, etc), that is simply not up for discussion. But there is a host of other issues (outnumbering BOR detractors 10:1) that can be
negotiated and compromised on.
One major thing that comes to mind is DACA. Clearly they aren't responsible for being brought here, and most have done an outstanding job. I can't
recall any instances of DACA recipients getting into major trouble (I could be wrong), and most are pursuing higher education/joining the workforce.
The US has no interest in their removal, outside of maintaining legitimacy of our legal system (can't just let people selectively break laws). So a
congressional action giving them amnesty/citizenship isn't at all outside the realm of possibility.
Furthermore, as far as illegal immigrants go, it also does not serve our interests to deport a majority of them. It is expensive to deport people, and
we only have a limited number of enforcement agents. So it makes the most sense to target those with felonies (and certain misdemeanors). Once again,
in order to protect the integrity of our legal system (enforcing all laws fairly and equally), an act of congress could legalize them or provide a
clear path to legalization. This may be less than ideal, given the fact that we'd be rewarding illegal behavior, but we are far past the point of
having another option. Now we must decide where enforcement priorities lay. We must also decide whether or not we want a large group of people here
illegally (who will be hesitant to report crimes or assist LE) or a group of people who acknowledge making a huge mistake by breaking our laws, but
nevertheless have done a good job following our laws
after their arrival and have been productive members of society. It is this latter group I
support giving a pathway to citizenship or residency to.
As with any crime, the nature of the offense (unlawful immigrant is a national form of trespassing, essentially), the time elapsed since the offense
and whether they engaged in any criminal activity after said offense determines whether or not that person has learned their lesson and if they're
likely to re-offend.
Obviously these compromises would come at an equal cost to Democrats. But we can find common ground on many issues. The question is whether Dems are
ready to have a seat at the negotiating table, or continue the scorched-Earth anti-Trump policies. I personally am tired of seeing votes divided down
party lines, so my preference is them taking a seat at the table.
edit on 12/5/2017 by JBurns because: (no reason given)