Wednesday, June 06, 2007

McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill arises again in all its obscenity
My last post before this was a modification of an earlier post. In it I outlined a radical solution to the immigration problem that cut the political aspects from the equation. Initially I thought the McCain-Kennedy bill was dead, but from the ashes it arises again in a still virulent form.
This 'compromise' is exactly what it says it is. The Democrats compromise, the Republicans compromise, and we get sold a load of crap that is supposed to be a solution to the problem. First off is the issue of these Z-Visas. THe illegals are required to pay a fine to get one. I heard that it was $5000 plus $1500 for processing. Allegedly only so mnay of these would be issued a year, but what is to stop a politician from campaigning on a promise to raise the total number? This also is yet another incentive for illegals to arrive in the USA with money in hand while allowing the federal government yet another endless revenue source.
Another thing this bill trumpets is the "Extra Border Security" that will first be in place beofre the rest of the bill is implemented. The border will not be sealed at all; it will remain as porous as it is now. To think it actually will be sealed off is preposterous. How else will the federal government mine the illegals arrivng for $6500 per person? What ever border security that is put in place will not be enough to contain the massive numbvers of illegals who will have been given a green light to enter the USA at will.
In conclusion, it is apparent to me at least that the federal government can not be depended on to get things done that need to be done. If The current Congress can not do its job, maybe it is time for a change come the first Tuesday in November.
A Jaded Bard

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My (Radical?) Solution to Illegal Immigration (Plug the Bucket Redux)

On April 11.2006, I wrote the original post regarding a radical solution to the illegal immigration problem we have in the USA. As of now, there are an estimated 12-20 million illegals in the USA. We really do not know who they are or where they are, but this matter needs to be addressed as not only a matter of national security, but for the welfare of every citizen within the borders of this country. Due to the pending possible passage of an OBSCENITY of an Immigration bill, I decided to repost this entry with hopefully all the typos cleared up and more explanation for some aspects of the solution. Thanks to all who have been sounding boards and contributed to the thought process that went into this post. – TheJadedBard-

Should I have been surprised at Congress tabling any immigration reform bills until they return from recess? No, I was not surprised at all. Actually, I am beyond disgust at this issue. I remember back in 1986, when that Immigration Reform Bill was to be the final solution to the issue. This bill gave amnesty to about 3 million illegal aliens. Now it is 2007; almost six years ago, an attack was carried out against the WTC by terrorists. We have now in place even more draconian laws to deal with the terrorist threat; it seems that Congress is better at passing laws then repealing the ones that are pointless and stupid. The 1986 bill it seems was NOT the final solution to the problem, because now we have approximately 12-20 million illegals in the USA. You would think that all of the current bills up in Congress would address the root of the problem, but all that they do is give citizenship to the illegals already here and set the stage for even more to come across the border. It is no secret that Mexico uses illegal immigration as a venting system for its inefficient, corruption-besotted government, but the issue has finally come to a head: Do we allow the porous border we now have, or will it take another attack before the government gets enlightened? Or will another attack provoke an overreaction response? This remains to be seen.
It is time to face some harsh political realities involving the US-Mexican Border and the immigration issue in general, such as:


No Democrat will seal the border because illegal aliens can be converted into Democrat Party votes. (Spare me the feigned outrage. I have lived in TX, AZ and NV; I know this happens)


No Republican will seal the border because they who have purchased a GOP member comprise a lot of big business; illegal aliens work for much less than a documented worker, often times with no benefits, thus increasing the corporate bottom line.


A supplement to the above is that no matter how much the government says it will fine businesses that hire illegals, it simply will not happen to any degree that matters. Under our current system of politics, you can be assured that the businesses that hire the illegals contribute heavily to the Congress that crafts the laws. Guess who the laws will favor? While we have the system we have in place, where protection from said laws is directly dependent on who you can afford to purchase in Congress, do not expect employers like Wal-Mart to be paying any fines at all, unless a sound-bite is needed for an election.


Taking into account all of the above, the only real solution to this matter will take something that cuts across the Democrat and GOP prejudices, essentially cutting their politics out of the equation.


At the moment, we have NO idea who is crossing into the USA from Mexico at all except for the minimal amount that actually arrive here legally. The Canadian border is nowhere near the problem that the Mexican one is due to a variety of factors like the Canadian standard of living, the winter weather, and the wolves and bears about. Securing the Canadian border would not be anywhere near the problem that securing our southern border represents.


What will it take to get a proactive solution to this problem: A thermonuclear device smuggled into the US from Mexico and detonated in LA? It is well known that California has the most use for illegal labor; some say that removing the illegals would cause an economic depression in the state. Would a smoking black nuclear depression in LA be a better solution? Actually, the results from such an action would provoke a definite overreaction probably to the opposite extreme. This also would not be a real solution to the problem.


Look at it with this analogy: You have a leaky bucket into which you must place water to transport it. The leaky bucket is our border while the water represents the illegal aliens. You could use the leaky bucket to transport water, but water still would leak all over the ground, going everywhere with out you knowing where it is going. If the bucket were sealed up so it did not leak, then the water that you transport stays in the bucket; you know where the water is going. If the water is poisoned, you can dump all the poisoned water in one place and be confident none of it leaked on the ground, where it might harm your plants. This is valid ONLY if the bucket is sealed first. If the bucket is leaking, potential poisoned water goes everywhere. To add to this, if the flow of water is controlled so that it only can emerge though a specific place or places, then you are allowing water to fill the bucket, BUT you have control of the water situation.


My Proposed Solution


I have laid down why the current system will not be rectified (the specific reasons why no pending legislation will seal the border), and drew up an analogy for a solution; now lets get to specifics. The bottom line is that the border that separates the US and Mexico MUST be sealed, and not just a few 100 miles of it either. My proposal is twofold though, because we not only need to control the flow of water so that sufficient amount gets to the USA, (immigrants) but we also have to plug the bucket (our currently porous border). Therefore:


The US-Mexico Border will have two barriers erected from Brownsville to San Diego. The frontal barrier will consist of a 25 foot high Concrete wall buried 5 feet deep in the dirt for a visible height of 20 feet.
75 feet further north of the barrier, a 20 foot electrified chain link fence will be erected once again from Brownsville to San Diego inclusive.


This could be accomplished in 6 months, considering the aridity of the border area. I know some people will say how will we pay for such an expense, but consider how much money is spent from illegals using our services in the USA. The reason for the 75 foot gap is to allow constant patrol of the border. If some enterprising individuals decide to tunnel underneath the wall and fence, thermal imaging will detect them. As tunnels are discovered, blow them closed and block them. If the coyotes and narcotraficantes want a border battle, they will be sharply reminded of the last time Mexico challenged the USA in battle.
Objective: You have succeeded in fixing the leaky bucket, (the porous border), but that is only part of the problem. The USA still needs workers for its economy. How to control the flow of water? By allowing Open Controlled Immigration at ESTABLISHED entry points. Why open but controlled? The quota system the USA has is yet another political football that can be used by the politicians at election time. For example, it is insane to make a Canadian citizen who already speaks fluent English wait in line behind someone from Burkina Faso, but that is how our current system works. The fact is that this only now works for the politicians and not for the greater good. It is time to dump it in the trash can.

Ellis Island

“Ellis Island is a symbol of America’s immigrant heritage. From 1892 to 1954, this immigrant depot processed the greatest tide of incoming humanity in the nation’s history. Nearly twelve million landed here in their search of freedom of speech and religion, and for economic opportunity.”http://www.ellisisland.com/ellis_home.html


That URL makes for some interesting reading. In approximately 60 years, Ellis Island processed around 200,000 immigrants per year using the technology available at the time. As I recall, some of my ancestors came through Ellis Island. It was a no-frills processing center that dealt with as many as 12 million immigrants that came to the USA seeking opportunity. That worked at the time; we have a lot more resources available to make it work better even now. But why have just one? Why not have 10 or 20? The following locations would be ideal for housing Immigration Intake Centers. (IICs):


North of San Francisco
Calexico, California
Nogales, Arizona
South of Las Cruces, New Mexico
Del Rio, Texas
McAllen – Brownsville, Texas
North of Tampa, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
South or North of Wilmington, North Carolina
Glasgow, Montana
Seattle, Washington
Flint, Michigan
Virginia, Minnesota
Watertown, New York
Calais, Maine
Sunbury, Pennsylvania
Caliente, Nevada
Twin Falls, Idaho
Alamosa, Colorado
McCook, Nebraska
Paris, Texas
Rolla, Missouri
Vincennes, Indiana
Beckley, West Virginia
Savannah, Tennessee
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

What would the purpose of this be? These locations will be modern day equivalents of Ellis Island. Their job would be processing immigrants into the USA. In many of the above locations, already existing facilities could be converted to the task. This will control the flow of water (immigrants) into the country. You have just removed the incentive to illegally enter the USA. This in combination with sealing the border addresses multiple issues such as:


Removing the incentive to illegally enter the USA. (If you are a law abiding individual, you can go to an IIC and emerge with a green card.


California will have all the workers they need for their economy.


It will be rather hard to hire illegals if there are not many to be found. If there are no illegals to be found, then there is no need to fine businesses for hiring them, is there?


Those alone address a large part of the problem, but there still are other issues to be addressed. Read on!


The illegal aliens currently residing in the USA


The implementation of this system I proposed would not be in place overnight, but with prioritizing, it could be in place in a year. The sheer amount of illegals in the USA makes rounding them all up and deporting them problematic. There is no realistic way this could be done. A far better method would be to have themselves round themselves up……for a true FINAL amnesty! Once the IICs and the sealed border is in place, post notice all over the USA, from coast to coast and border to border: ALL illegal aliens currently in the USA have 180 days to report to an IIC for processing. If there are no issues with who they are, they emerge with a green card, plain and simple. It will be an offer they could not refuse; most would jump at the chance. AFTER that grace period, any illegal not showing up to be processed would be fair game. When found, they will be branded Persona Non Grata and permanently deported. We already sealed the border and they have been flagged. Any attempt by them to show up at an IIC, they will be flagged again. We can also do the same for the illegals in prison: once released, permanently deported. This may be considered a reward to many Americans, but the porous border we have had for so long requires some leniency. This will truly be the last time we are lenient. This is the purpose the IICs inside the USA will serve: processing the illegals already in the USA. The IICs themselves will also provide a multitude of jobs in the USA, including some in areas badly in need of employment opportunities. This system can also correct another major flaw in our current immigration policy.

Most of the people in Canada speak fluent English; no ESOL training would be needed. Native born Canadians will have an express immigration route to the USA; this is only fair. They would also be subject to any constraints that other immigrants would be subjected to beyond their favored status, including permanent ejection if found in the USA illegally.


There you have it, a radical plan that cuts across political considerations and solves the issues ensconced within this dilemma. To review:


- The main route into the USA illegally is fully sealed off with a continuous barricade.
- Any attempt to circumvent the barricade by sea on either end would be contained by the US Coast Guard; that is what they do after all.
- All incentive is removed for illegal migration via an IIC
- A true Final Amnesty that solves the problem once and for all and removes the political consideration from the equation.
- Rather then have the goldmine obscenity of the cost of the various Visas outlined in the current bill up for consideration, processed applicants could be charged a fee of $75-$100 for the process, enough to cover the expense of processing them and fund the IIC itself. This in essence reins in big government.


This will also have a positive effect on our southern neighbor, Mexico. As I said earlier, they use illegal immigration to the USA as part of their governmental policy. With that outlet blocked off from use, this will produce internal change in the country for the better. If the criminal elements south of the border wish to start a firefight at that location, the US can easily respond in kind. It can essentially be said that anyone attempting to cross the barrier is someone that does not want to be caught going through an IIC. In other words: A criminal.


Possible Objections

How will we pay for all of this? How much are we paying every day now while more and more illegals flood into the USA? How much do they cost state economies in health care and law enforcement expenditures? No criminal or never-do-well is going to risk going through an IIC and be caught. They will be the ones trying to sneak in illegally. They are the ones we do NOT want in this country at all. The barrier and the IICs will eventually pay for them selves, as well as provide decent work opportunities for bi-lingual and multi-lingual people.

It is a violation of the illegal immigrants’ rights to bar them from a better future! No, it is a violation of OUR rights that we have to suffer the flood of illegals into this country with essentially no controls at all. OUR tax money pays for what services in the US they use and OUR law enforcement has to waste manpower in rounding them up. The barrier is to preserve our sovereignty and increase our safety. They can go to an IIC because, if they have nothing to hide, they will get a green card and be allowed to be in this country legally. Of course if they have a criminal record or are persona non grata, then your argument is void. We are not entering their country illegally and putting a grievous load on their infrastructure; it is OUR right to protect this country and know who is entering it!

They will come in by sea then! A far more difficult means to enter, and we do have a Coast Guard. Also, by putting an IIC at either end of the barrier, this would once again take away the incentive to illegally immigrate to the USA. It also would be of little difficulty for the USCG to put up an electrical/digital skein to catch those who try to enter.

In Conclusion

I have yet to see any Immigration reform bill in Washington DC that addresses the border first and foremost. There is NO point in offering amnesty with an open border because more will flood in for the next round. McCain- Kennedy even goes as far as to encourage more to flood in, because the federal government will collect $2000 from each illegal in the country (can you say endless revenue source?) I will vote against any candidate or incumbent that:


Votes for amnesty without sealing the border first.


Votes for any proposal that allows the federal government to milk this issue for its own personal gain, disregarding any security risks.


It is time to make this Immigration reform a true and final answer to the issue that we face. My solution is workable and addresses the issues that need to be addressed. I welcome all commentary and suggestions either pro or con.

A Jaded Bard

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