On Illegal Immigration: "Enact This!"
By David R. Usher (05/20/07)
We are constantly horrified at Congress. It is chronically unable to come up with policy that works -- always grafting Frankenstein monsters out of dead things.
Illegal Immigration is yet another example. My compliments go to Sen. John McCain for stating the obvious -- by resorting to four-letter derogatory salutes -- in hopes of scaring everyone into liking Congress’s latest biolegislative bastard.
The answer is so simple. Illegal Immigration is a market. Turn the market on its head – take the profit out of it -- and everything will take care of itself. The answer is so simple that even a child can understand it. Perhaps we should send more children to Washington.
Here is the self-financing, self-reinforcing solution that everyone will like (except the illegal immigrants).
1. Those who are found guilty of illegal immigration will be sentenced to at least five years imprisonment and hard labor.
2. Those imprisoned will form a state-sponsored labor pool, wherein any company needing cheap labor can apply. Salaries will be paid to the state at about $4 per hour. This will cover costs of interdiction and incarceration. Labor costs will become even lower for companies -- who will no longer want to hire illegal immigrants.
3. Security: work areas will be guarded, and workers tagged with non-removable GPS units so they can be tracked down if they run. Each escape attempt will add another five years to the sentence.
4. For any company that still hires illegal immigrants: the owners would be subject to the same penalties as illegal immigrants.
5. Upon release, illegal immigrants will be returned to their country of origin.
If enacted, we will see a flood of illegal immigrants leaving the country and lining up to apply for legal citizenship the minute they get home. Illegals who do not leave will find themselves working for five years for free. We can expedite processing of the good ones, and filter out the criminals Mexico is intentionally exporting to America.
Instead of 1000 pages of nonsense that cannot possibly work being enacted, may I suggest we just introduce this article in Congress and enact it.
David R. Usher is Senior Policy Analyst for the True Equality Network and President of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, Missouri Coalition
(Printer friendly version) Email: David R. Usher
