How would you like the US to handle Immigration

I'll be honest, I wasn't crazy what Obama did for immigration, or Trump.

I think there has to be a better way. What Biden inherits will be a mis-mash mess of the two and I'm not sure he'll make it better.

Here are some thought that come to my mind. What are yours?

It should not take ten years and tens of thousands of dollars for people to become citizens.
There should be a clear path for suitable immigrants. Keep in mind we are talking immigrant, not refugees. I think there
is a big difference there.

We should not cage people, yes I know this happened under both administrations. We should not hold people for months on end.

I'm with Trump on anchor babies. We all know this is a loophole and should have never been recognized.

As for the Big Elephant in the room......... The border wall.
Well I was never for it. I think there are numerous ways people come into the US, like airplane etc.
A border wall has always seemed like a waste of money to me.

There is a perfect way to stop immigrants coming here, and the solution is NOT punishing the immigrant.

SEVERLY punish the people that hire them illegal. Make it so painful that nobody would want to take the risk.
Of course we know that will never happen because rich people need cheap easy labor!

DACA - We need to just accept that these kids have been caught in a see-saw of different policies and just grandfather them
all in.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I believe our country takes in far too many legal and illegal immigrants annually. I think we need to rethink the approach and begin taking care of the people here at home. We have a massive homeless/mental disorder problem/food shortage issue that should be addressed before worrying about bringing in more immigrants. Obviously, we will always be taking in a good amount, I just dont think we need to be taking in millions of legal/illegals every year. I don't believe that's sustainable and I dont know of any country that takes in that many people, gives them loads of freebies and prospers.

It should not take ten years and tens of thousands of dollars for people to become citizens.

I agree, but we're talking about the government here.

Someone said that:
If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand.

We should be like many other countries and only take people who have the skills we need. I find it highly hypocritical that certain other countries and posters from those countries call us racist for disallowing a neverending flood of immigrants, anyone and everyone, when they know darn good and well this is what their own countries do.

And it isn't just about not hiring illegals, it's also about not allowing them access to social services. Like it or not, they gain access to the social safety net through loopholes in this country. If you pay taxes, you're paying for people who are here illegally, working illegally, and you're supporting. I don't care if you think this is inhumane -- it's also a great way to disincentivize people. I don't care if their native lands are crapholes. At some point, if they want something else, they need to take the bull by the horns and work to fix what's broke there.

a reply to: JAGStorm

When I want to know how well that new rifle that the Military has is working, I don't ask the local barber. I ask a soldier, then another.

So if you want to honestly know how well the border wall works, ask border patrol members.

But if it were up to me, I'd have a very secure border, one that you don't cross unless invited. Then I'd invite the best and the brightest from all nations to come here if they choose. Then I'd make the immigration process something that works smooth but limits incoming people to numbers we can deal with, and toss folks that come here illegally and aren't working to better the nation. If they are working to better the nation, I'd try to help them get right with the law.

We don't need to be a charity, we don't need to take in people just to feed them and let them do nothing. We have a great nation that people risk their lives to come to. We should act like it.

If you want to do nothing, we should send those folks to California and let the liberal leaders there take care of them. Eventually, they might look at the rest of the nation and wonder why everyone else is doing so well, and they aren't.

a reply to: JAGStorm

A streamlining of the application process and waiting time to enable anyone who isn't a criminal to come here. Immigration is good for the United States.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I find it highly hypocritical that certain other countries and posters from those countries call us racist for disallowing a neverending flood of immigrants, anyone and everyone, when they know darn good and well this is what their own countries do.

we need to laugh at those folks, not listen to them.

a reply to: network dude

I'd also change our education focus back to the idea of the Big Melting Pot instead of diversity where everyone has to remain exactly who they were when they came. America works best when we are all Americans at heart flavored by who we were when we came rather than who we were when we came at heart flavored by America on top.

a reply to: ketsuko

Technology acts a huge force against the old 'melting pot' idea. Today, it is ridiculously easy to keep in daily contact with the 'old country'. Being an immigrant or expatriate is not nearly as isolating as it once was.

Cheers

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: network dude

I'd also change our education focus back to the idea of the Big Melting Pot instead of diversity where everyone has to remain exactly who they were when they came. America works best when we are all Americans at heart flavored by who we were when we came rather than who we were when we came at heart flavored by America on top.

Not sure I agree with that, What is American flavored?
I see America as a more fluid thing, maybe slow fluid but still fluid.
It is all that diversity that makes America great.

My grandfather refused to eat Italian food (Eye-talion he pronounced it)
He believed it was garbage junk food and was very skeptical of Italian people.
It is exactly how many people see Hispanics today (except we sure do love Hispanic food!)

But back to that Italian thinking my grandpa had, I doubt ANYONE today in the US has that same feeling. If anything many Italians are seen as being White, and American. Just in Two generations the entire perception changed. Having Pizza on Friday is seen as very American.

a reply to: ketsuko

We should be like many other countries and only take people who have the skills we need.

I totally agree with this and don't know how this is not a thing.
Many countries require you to have skills, money or a job before you can become a citizen. Is that really so much to ask?

a reply to: JAGStorm

That's not true at all.

What most people think of Hispanics in your opinion is what ignorant people think we think of Hispanics. What that sentiment is what you are told we think of them.

Do you want to truth? It's anti-illegal sentiment, but most of us know that there are illegals from all over the world. China ships in a ton of Asian illegals. There are illegals from places like India and Pakistan who get dumped off H1-Bs. They aren't Hispanics. And yes, there are flood of Hispanics from over the southern border.

It's easy and convenient for the press to make that anti-illegal sentiment into simply anti-Hispanic sentiment so that Hispanics are duped into thinking we hate them. We don't. Hispanics are fine; illegals are not. Heck, I have a cousin married to a Hispanic man. But his family has been American for several generations.

Not only that, Hispanics themselves are far more nuanced than the press makes them out to be. That's why you have Cubans and Venezualans and Tejanos voting for Trump. They want no part of Biden's agenda. Tejanos are American and Cubans and Venezuelans have been socialist, done socialist and not ready to have to try to escape it again.

In my opinion the solution is fairly simple.

1. Allow migrant visas for temporary agricultural workers during certain months of the year, not all.

2. Anchor babies don't count. Period.

3. Treat illegals just like they do in SE Asia. Send out a notice that by 'X' date all illegals must leave the country or face forced deportation. Round them up at gunpoint by the tens of thousands. Load them in ships and beach the ships on the Guatemalan coast. If you don't want to go to Guatemala, then don't stay illegally in the US. But...but..what if they're from Mexico, or some other country???? Tough! They're going to Guatemala...end of discussion.

Shocking how well this works! (Except in SE Asia they load them on ships for Bangladesh. Not from Bangladesh? Tough! You're going to Bangladesh!) Neither Bangladesh, nor Guatemala, are fun places to go.

Open border policies do NOT work. Every single country on Earth who has one either regrets it, or welcomes them as SLAVES! There is no middle ground.

ETA - Oh, and otherwise, just leave the immigration process alone. People can still apply for citizenship, just like they always have been able to. No changes there. In the meantime though, they WILL obey the visa laws until they get there.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: network dude

I'd also change our education focus back to the idea of the Big Melting Pot instead of diversity where everyone has to remain exactly who they were when they came. America works best when we are all Americans at heart flavored by who we were when we came rather than who we were when we came at heart flavored by America on top.

totally agree. I have learned so much about other cultures from people who came here and I would have otherwise never met. Food being the most amazing and easiest to agree on.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I agree with you on pretty much all your points. I think we should tighten the border down like a horses ass in fly season. The illegals crossing the border should absolutely be separated from any children that they might be crossing with. That BS about "dont separate families" is just stupid. If any one of us citizens in the U.S. goes to jail our effing kids don't go with us. That is absurd. Anyways it is a fact that a large number of sex traffickers traffic children and women across that border, it only makes sense to separate them and get to the bottom of things.

Lock the border down tight tight tight. Also as you pointed out, make it a HUGE fine and BIG punishment such as jail time for people that hire illegals.

Then and only after the aforementioned things are done we should get rid of ALL illegals that have committed ANY crime from a 3rd degree misdemeanor and higher. Then once that is done we should give all DACA's citizenship and give the rest of the illegals a path to citizenship.

And keep the border locked down.

As far as letting in immigrants, we should only let in people that will contribute much to our society such as doctors, scientists and such. We don't need any more cheap labor coming across the border competing with our workers here at home. This only serves to drag down the wages and makes our poor poorer.

Doing these things will inevitably raise the pay scales for our workers and get millions out of poverty and into the middle class. This will also relieve our social welfare systems and save billions in tax payer dollars.

We don't have to accept millions of people wanting to come into our country. These people need to stay home and fix their mess so that they won't even want to leave their country. Its kind of like that saying "If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day. But if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime." We need to stop handing out fish and those countries need to learn how to catch their own fish.

No more Canadians.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Haven't thought as far as any solutions, though I agree a border wall would only do so much.

I think one thing we should do is implement massive penalties for overstaying visas. Visa overstays should be treated as enemy spies.

originally posted by: Lysergic
No more Canadians.

Aye, I agree totally.

A sliding scale on cost would be a good start

Better relations with the rest of America we messed around with there countries we should atleast help them fix it

We should use immigration policies closer to Canada and other countries. It should be legal only and strictly merit based.