bergeron
05-04-2006, 12:35 PM
A point paper on Immigration Reform and Border Security
Purpose: To provide potential solutions to the immigration and border security crisis currently facing the United States.
Background: There are currently ~12 million people in the United States illegally. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the on-going global war on terror, national security demands that we know who is in this country and that we control the borders to prevent our adversaries from entering. In addition, the economic impact of having large numbers of illegal aliens puts a tremendous economic burden on social programs, hospitals, law enforcement, and schools, especially in the border-states.
Discussion: The following is a ten-step plan to secure the border, identify the people that are currently in this country illegally, develop a plan to assimilate those that are here that meet certain minimum standards and deport those that do not meet the minimum standards.
- Step 1 Close the borders
-- The illegal immigration problem should not be allowed to get worse
-- Use the National Guard initially to assist the border patrol until an electronic fence can be installed
--- Detects, monitors, & characterizes persons/vehicles crossing the border illegally
--- Allows for effective deployment of border patrol agents to interdict illegal border crossings
- Step 2 Provide a path to a guest worker program that entails admitting guilt for entering the country illegally and paying a fine
-- Program would be open for only 90 to 120 days
-- Persons that come forward during this time will be allowed to enter the guest worker program
--- Provided they have no criminal record (beyond entering the country illegally)
--- Permit will allow individuals to work in the U.S. legally for up to five years
- Step 3 Anyone in the country illegally that fails to come forward during the program window will be permanently barred from obtaining a guest worker permit or from obtaining U.S. citizenship
- Step 4 People that enter the guest worker program will be issued biometric identification cards that contain fingerprint, photograph, and DNA data
-- Employers will use ID cards to confirm a persons eligibility to work legally in the U.S
-- For U.S citizens, proof of citizenship will be required for employment
- Step 5 Any illegal alien caught in the U.S. after the initial 90-day period without an I.D. card will be photographed, fingerprinted, DNA sampled, and deported to their country of origin
- Step 6 Anyone that is deported who returns illegally is guilty of a class D felony with a mandatory minimum sentence of one year and deportation to their country of origin
- Step 7 Any U.S. citizen or foreign national involved with smuggling of illegal aliens, i.e. providing false documents, transportation of illegal aliens across the border, or assisting in any way in a smuggling operation is guilty of a Class B felony with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years
-- Providing food, clothing, and shelter to illegal aliens is a misdemeanor
- Step 8 Any business owner and/or company personnel who knowingly provides employment to an illegal alien is guilty of a Class D felony punishable by fines and/or imprisonment increasing in severity based on the number of occurrences
- Step 9 Medical facilities that treat illegal aliens must report it immediately or forfeit federal reimbursement dollars (Medicaid, Medicare, etc.) for that patient
-- States are free to allocate their funds as they see fit
- Step 10 Guest workers enrolled in the program are eligible to apply for citizenship after completing their term as a guest worker
-- They must return to their country of origin while waiting for their citizenship application (or additional guest worker permits) to be processed and adjudicated
-- Applications will be processed in the order they are submitted
-- Anyone remaining illegally in the U.S. after their term as a guest worker permit has expired is guilty of a class D felony, thus eliminating any possibility of another guest worker permit or U.S. citizenship
-- Guest workers are not eligible to become citizens by means of marriage. They must complete their terms as a guest worker and submit their applications as described above
-- Once the first guest worker permit is completed, individuals may request additional guest worker permits and submit their application for citizenship while working in the U.S. on the second permit
Summary: The U.S. is a country that operates by rule of law. It is imperative that anyone attempting to enter this country understands that breaking the laws of the United States results in serious negative consequences. This program may seem harsh but we can no longer afford to have people streaming across the border. The risks to our homeland are too great. This plan addresses ways to close the border, document persons in this country illegally and provides paths to either assimilate them or deport them.
Purpose: To provide potential solutions to the immigration and border security crisis currently facing the United States.
Background: There are currently ~12 million people in the United States illegally. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the on-going global war on terror, national security demands that we know who is in this country and that we control the borders to prevent our adversaries from entering. In addition, the economic impact of having large numbers of illegal aliens puts a tremendous economic burden on social programs, hospitals, law enforcement, and schools, especially in the border-states.
Discussion: The following is a ten-step plan to secure the border, identify the people that are currently in this country illegally, develop a plan to assimilate those that are here that meet certain minimum standards and deport those that do not meet the minimum standards.
- Step 1 Close the borders
-- The illegal immigration problem should not be allowed to get worse
-- Use the National Guard initially to assist the border patrol until an electronic fence can be installed
--- Detects, monitors, & characterizes persons/vehicles crossing the border illegally
--- Allows for effective deployment of border patrol agents to interdict illegal border crossings
- Step 2 Provide a path to a guest worker program that entails admitting guilt for entering the country illegally and paying a fine
-- Program would be open for only 90 to 120 days
-- Persons that come forward during this time will be allowed to enter the guest worker program
--- Provided they have no criminal record (beyond entering the country illegally)
--- Permit will allow individuals to work in the U.S. legally for up to five years
- Step 3 Anyone in the country illegally that fails to come forward during the program window will be permanently barred from obtaining a guest worker permit or from obtaining U.S. citizenship
- Step 4 People that enter the guest worker program will be issued biometric identification cards that contain fingerprint, photograph, and DNA data
-- Employers will use ID cards to confirm a persons eligibility to work legally in the U.S
-- For U.S citizens, proof of citizenship will be required for employment
- Step 5 Any illegal alien caught in the U.S. after the initial 90-day period without an I.D. card will be photographed, fingerprinted, DNA sampled, and deported to their country of origin
- Step 6 Anyone that is deported who returns illegally is guilty of a class D felony with a mandatory minimum sentence of one year and deportation to their country of origin
- Step 7 Any U.S. citizen or foreign national involved with smuggling of illegal aliens, i.e. providing false documents, transportation of illegal aliens across the border, or assisting in any way in a smuggling operation is guilty of a Class B felony with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years
-- Providing food, clothing, and shelter to illegal aliens is a misdemeanor
- Step 8 Any business owner and/or company personnel who knowingly provides employment to an illegal alien is guilty of a Class D felony punishable by fines and/or imprisonment increasing in severity based on the number of occurrences
- Step 9 Medical facilities that treat illegal aliens must report it immediately or forfeit federal reimbursement dollars (Medicaid, Medicare, etc.) for that patient
-- States are free to allocate their funds as they see fit
- Step 10 Guest workers enrolled in the program are eligible to apply for citizenship after completing their term as a guest worker
-- They must return to their country of origin while waiting for their citizenship application (or additional guest worker permits) to be processed and adjudicated
-- Applications will be processed in the order they are submitted
-- Anyone remaining illegally in the U.S. after their term as a guest worker permit has expired is guilty of a class D felony, thus eliminating any possibility of another guest worker permit or U.S. citizenship
-- Guest workers are not eligible to become citizens by means of marriage. They must complete their terms as a guest worker and submit their applications as described above
-- Once the first guest worker permit is completed, individuals may request additional guest worker permits and submit their application for citizenship while working in the U.S. on the second permit
Summary: The U.S. is a country that operates by rule of law. It is imperative that anyone attempting to enter this country understands that breaking the laws of the United States results in serious negative consequences. This program may seem harsh but we can no longer afford to have people streaming across the border. The risks to our homeland are too great. This plan addresses ways to close the border, document persons in this country illegally and provides paths to either assimilate them or deport them.