reply to post by FlyersFan
I agree.
I don't think it should be "blanket" amnesty, but I do think there should be a period of time, about 6 months, where we dedicate a lot of resources
and make it very easy to become legalized.
Of course, if they are wanted for crimes, or already convicted of crimes then they won't be able to get citizenship, and if they have those
"critical skills" as you mentioned, then they should get buoyed to the tops of all the lists. Also, their overall contributions to our country
since there arrival should be measured. If they have continually worked and followed the laws, then they should have no problem getting legalized.
I also do not think they should immediately get citizenship. I'm only suggesting they get legal status to be here, and then get into a program to
become a citizen.
I also think we need to designate English as our official language for the US, and we should demand all government documents and contracts be written
in English, and anyone renewing a Visa should have increasing comprehension of the English language each time they renew a Visa.
Overall, the long-term goal is to lock down the border tightly, and also streamline and simplify the process for legal immigration. Make the carrot
more enticing and make the stick more scary and the problem should go away. We shift the risk/reward graph to make it a terribly bad gamble to try
and immigrate illegally. All of the other stuff is just bandaids to try and repair the existing problem as painlessly as possible, but the end goal
has to be a secure border and an increased amount of legal immigration.