See, Curing the Border Is A Problem

The failure of Congress to properly and effectively address United States’ Immigration laws and policies has provided the opportunity for a number of States to demonstrate their ineptitude at understanding what causes and promotes illegal immigration, what the real problems are that are derived from such immigrations, and what laws and policies should be created as effective means for addressing the causes, the problems and the law.

I don’t suppose that it is to be unexpected that State politicians are as worthless as our elected national Congressional and Presidential leaders are. They seem to succumb to the same let’s choose an easy answer solution that sounds good to one constituency or other. First defend the border, do whatever it takes to prevent illegal aliens from physically crossing the border. Once we do that then we can deal with other illegal immigrate issues and problems. Or, first we need to deal with the 11+ million illegal aliens [some sources push counts that put the number at almost twice that] that are already here in the US. Do either the national or state politicians really think that these are the immigration problems that need to be addressed, and if addressed that these would solve the immigration mess that our state and federal governments has allowed to infect, fester and endanger our social fabric?

Neither securing the border nor deciding how resident illegal aliens should be dealt with will solve the immigration problem. Yes, both would change the conditions around illegal immigration; but really! Why would either stop illegal immigration?

Making the border harder to cross will guarantee that we accomplish one specific result. It will make it ‘harder to cross’; but it will not make it impossible to cross. As long as there is a good enough reason to want to get here, there will be folks who will provide a way to achieve it. And the cost to perpetually improve, upgrade and enhance the ‘secure’ border will become just another one of our politicians’ favorite phenomenon: a budgetary gold mine for special interests, campaign contributors, and themselves. There will be a final solution just another $2 billion (plus annual operating cost and increase) away. And the worst thing is that there will be superior solutions that cost one-tenth the cost that will never be recognized nor accepted because it will not serve the vested interests.

Dealing with the population of current illegal aliens in the country does not solve the immigration problem, because it doesn’t stop border crossing nor does it account for the social and economic consequences to the US from either deportation or from amnesty. Just choosing to deport or to provide a ‘path to citizenship’ for illegal aliens does not assure us that there are no negative consequences to either or both actions, and it does not guarantee that in balance the results will be advantageous.

It would be wise to understand the consequences of what we are proposing to do, before we do them.

And it would be even more essential that we understand what causes illegal immigration so that we can develop well reasoned and logical solutions to address the causes and the consequences of illegal immigration.

This is clearly something that neither our federal nor state politicians nor their respective bureaucracies are prepared to or competent to handle.

Congress and Other Politicians: Illegal Immigrates in the Country of Intelligence?

What with immigration being one of the hot issues of the day, month, year, decade, … you would think that Congress and states’ legislatures would have found some viable and functional approaches to setting the legal and policy direction on it. But of course they have not. Is it because the two parties cannot find a way to work together? No, even when they have had the opportunity to pass whatever bill they have wanted the ‘best and brightest’ have flounder without a concept; or vacillated on some direction; or lurched toward some ‘tough on illegal aliens’ bill that was toothless, blind, and addle pated in its efficacy.

Is it because the solutions are beyond the ability of men and women of good will to conceive of or comprehend something of value? No, even politicians, including some members of Congress, have the wherewithal to understand a good idea when they hear one. Makes you wonder why they haven’t heard one doesn’t it?

Is it because the public would not accept a reasonable, prudent and principled approach to reforming immigration? Harder to answer, but in general at least 7 of 10 Americans would support both an informed and practical immigration policy and law. They would even vote for those politicians who sponsored and backed such legislation. Most Americans are not inflexibly bound to either major Party’s failed and outdated positions on immigration; as the public is fundamentally interested in the impacts that the past and present immigration laws have wrought upon the land. At this point, the public would welcome a political leader who stood up and presented an immigration strategy that addressed those facets of American society that are being dealt real and significant damage from the ineffective and unproductive process that exists today.

So where is the politician that will seriously think about immigration and develop that creative position to bring intelligence, insight and innovation to the fore? Who will recognize the factors that motivate and drive the illegal immigration and the counter-measures that are appropriate to deal with them?

It appears that they are not in the Democratic or Republican Parties. It appears that they are not in the State legislatures, nor are they members of the staffs of these politicians. It appears that the politics of the day have stagnated the imaginations, and solidified the mind-sets of the very people that are supposed to tackle these problems for the American people.

Maybe it would help if we gave them a hint. To solve this problem there is an essential principle that needs to be attended to: First, you have to understand the problem. And that is where the immigration reform effort needs to start, and the politicians need to exert their energies. Only when they see the real problem will they have any chance of finding an effective solution.