What our other readers are saying:
Relax immigration laws
Most of my "illegal" friends (from Ecuador and Great Britain) are hard-working, educated assets to the United States. I believe we should relax immigration laws so that Latinos who wish to return to their towns and families vs. living the pressure cooker lifestyle in the US can come and go freely. Extreme laws make it difficult for "illegals" to return home where strong family, religious and community values prevail. Its just a matter of time when all of North, Central and South america will come together with shared economies, values, and quality of life. As our quality of life deteriorates (crime, drugs, poverty, income gaps) in the USA, the quality of life in our neighboring countries is on the rise.
Martin Nelson, Riverside, Calif., USA
Undocumented workers are hard-working
I work at a nearby hospital in NYC, and the amount of undocumented Mexicans that come in with injuries is astronomical. They are uninsured but each and every one works, and very hard. And what upsets me is that they work with employers that will not provide medical insurance once they get hurt. Go to any restaurant or construction site, and there they are working their [tails] off. Come on, they are the backbone for the restaurant and construction industry, among others!
Mayrae Ventura, New York, N.Y., USA
A country of immigrants
We are still a country of immigrants. We should continue to recognize that all of us who make the US what it is today have immigrant roots. There is room for more of us.
Terry Jarvis, Fort Collins, Colo., USA
Follow all laws
If we do not enforce immigration laws then why should other laws be enforced? Is it legal to pick and chose which laws should be enforced? What are we telling our young people when the government selectively enforces laws to gain votes? Voters must show the president and Congress by voting for enforcement!
Elaine Hunt, Townville, S.C., USA
Time to make some changes
Let those that are here stay, provided they register with INS and apply for a visa. Then, amend the constitution so that those children born of illegal aliens, do not (by virtue of their place of birth) obtain United States Citizenship.
Enact new legislation to severely penalize businesses that provide banking or lending services to illegals. Consider laws that would provide criminal penalties to business owners that hire illegals. Allow local hospitals to bill the Federal Government for emergency room care provided to illegals. Allow localities the authority to arrest illegals and house them in their jails until such time as these persons can be deported. Provide Federal financial assistance (grant money) to localities which arrest and detain these persons. Dramatically increase the size of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement within the borders of the United States.
Continue building the border fence and hiring more Border Patrol; increase the number of National Guard along the border, give them powers to detain illegals until the Border Patrol is sufficiently large enough to effectively stem the flow of illegals.
Jose A. Garcia, Redding, Calif., USA
Too many hurdles to legal immigration
I'm a legal immigrant to the US. I met my husband on the Internet and moved from Singapore to marry him here in NC. It hurts me every time I see congressmen and senators - people who should know better - who say "If illegal immigrants want to come here, they should do it legally."
It is currently nigh-impossible for someone with no capital or family ties to make it past US immigration short of the immigration lottery, which has few places. I myself, with a fiance sponsoring my K-application, had to pay around a thousand dollars, as the USCIS is not taxpayer funded. The fees will be going up again this October. It took me a year to get my work permit and be allowed to work legally.
Moreover, visas for the family of a legal immigrant are currently backlogged ten years or more. There are also issues with the skilled worker H-visa system that may tie a foreign worker to his position and job for a decade or more. As long as the application is backlogged, said worker may not be promoted, find a better job, or return to his country of origin to visit family and friends.
I believe the US immigration system worked in my case, but should be overhauled to accommodate the thousands of others who have no legal way to come to the US to live and work.
Mel Simpson, Gibsonville, N.C., USA
Respect the laws of the land
Illegal immigrants need to understand that the reason this country is great is because Americans follow the rule of law.... [Immigrants] left their countries for a better life, so why destroy this country and disrespect the laws of this country? US Citizenship begins with this. It is not enough to enjoy our economy and disrespect our laws because they don't like our process, then go to the streets and protest. Citizenship has to be earned. Illegal immigrants have no rights because they are uninvited guests who have overstayed their welcome. No matter how many contributions they make, it does not change the fact that they came here uninvited. We owe them nothing for breaking our laws.
If they wish to apply and fix their status, give them that opportunity, but we will not reward bad behavior.
Thelma Faith Viajar, Lansing, Mich., USA
Work visas are the answer
Americans should realize most illegal immigrants want to make more money, not abandon their culture. Let them come for work, let them come and go – they mostly want to return home. The age-old process for this is called a visa. In the case of Mexico, for example, providing work visas would enable Mexicans to come and work and return home with dignity, and lawfully, through customs posts, without becoming Americans. Therefore the INS could patrol our border better looking for those few that have more sinister motives, like drug smugglers and folks trying to drag in a nuke.
Sue Stome, Scottsdale, Ariz., USA
Illegal immigrants are criminals
The law is the law, and if we are willing to make a law, we should be willing to enforce it. 'Undocumented alien' or illegal immigrant, you have broken an American law and should be deported. And if you have broken other American laws, such as identity theft (buying a social security card on the black market, giving someone else's SSN to obtain employment fraudulently), you should be punished and then deported. Too many of us are forgetting or are willingly ignoring the difference between legal and illegal immigrants.
Being a legal immigrant myself, I appreciate the opportunities I have had in the US, but the illegals sour our lives here in many ways, and non-enforcement of border security and immigration laws leads to a general non-respect for the laws of the land, lowering our national security threshold and to a drain on our public funds. Employers who knowingly hire illegals, and local governments who as a decided policy resist or refuse to assist the US government in enforcing the law of the land should be prosecuted and punished.
Peeter Gruner, San Francisco, Calif., USA
Develop Central America, reform NAFTA
I am a student freshly back from a visit to the Sonora Desert, where hundreds of migrants are found each year, having died while trying to reach the USA. Many of these are from Guatemala, Honduras, or other Central American nations, forced to flee in search of work. The Mexicans who migrate do so as a result of economic pressures created largely by NAFTA, which has flooded the Mexican market with staples like wheat and corn sold at under market value. NAFTA allows the US and Canada to subsidize their crops, but prohibits Mexico from doing so, driving many farmers out of business and up North. And as we build more fences and heighten security, it drives migration to the deserts. If we spent our money on developing Mexico and Central America, and focused our attention on reforming NAFTA to allow farmers a fair price for corn, wheat, and coffee, our border problems would in large part solve themselves, and it would be a more humane and just solution, with no more deaths.
Holly Jones, Montezuma, N.M., USA
'Help Mexico help their own'
I think there can be a happy ending. First of all I honestly think that the entire United States Economy will completely crumble if all of the illegal immigrants from Mexico are deported. They provide so much of the labor in this nation, doing what no one else will do. They work all over the US and in every possible field of employment. The one problem that I have is that some of them may not work and are here getting better medical care and aid than our own citizens that need it. There is a reason they leave their country. Maybe what we need to do is to help Mexico to help their own people. They are a good, hard working people for the most part.
Jamie L. Goode, Kim, Colo., USA
Treat employers of illegal immigrants the same as drug producers
Just how sincere are lawmakers about ending illegal employment? Our laws are draconian when it comes to busting people growing pot. They go to jail, they lose whatever assets they had, like the house or farm where weed was grown. Make employing illegals subject to the same penalties.
William Morkill, Spokane, Wash., USA
Fine employers of illegal immigrants
Stiffly fine the companies employing the illegal immigrants. Also, fine the people privately employing the illegal immigrants doing something like lawn maintenance. If those people cannot make a living, they will need to leave to support themselves. In addition, if caught, these people need to be deported. Throwing these people in jail without breaking any other laws will overload the penal system. These people are illegal immigrants; it is a no-brainer, they need to go back to their home country.
Scott Hansen, Pearland, Tex., USA
'We have an obligation to these human beings'
We turned a blind eye on these people for years, exploiting them by allowing them to work and live here in a sort of underclass. All of a sudden it has become a political issue and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to dispose of these people. After exploiting them for so many years of doing work Americans will not do at the wages paid (I am for a higher minimum wage so that Americans would do these jobs), should we simply dispose of them? No. We have an obligation to these human beings. They have made lives here, had children here, bought homes, businesses, cars and other possessions, and they have contributed to this society. Truly enforce the laws, but allow those currently here to stay. They've earned it. We enticed them here.
Martin Osborne, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., USA
From a proud new citizen
Immigrants should only be allowed into the US if they can offer something to US in terms of skills, education, and other forms of expertise. I was an immigrant and am now a proud citizen of US, which I love more than my life. If an immigrant has any grudges against US, then they should be shipped out to their respective country of origin. Citizenship tests should be made more information-oriented and strict, and only those who love the US should be granted this honor. God bless America.
Riaz Khan, Houston, Tex., USA
An American expat, torn
We've lived here in Mexico for three years as legal immigrants from the US - moved from California to retire in Mexico. This is a sad problem to deal with now as the US government has shirked its responsibility for several decades. Americans seem unable to admit their addiction to cheap labor for the "dirty" jobs – mowing your own backyard, washing your own car, picking your own apples.... At the same time, a large part of the beautiful land we call America was "stolen" from Mexico in a trumped-up war. So, I feel the pull of artificial patriotism for US laws, but this is now moderated by a more humanistic pull – I'd let them take all that they can get.
Jack Thomas, Guaymas, Mexico
The simplest, fairest answer
Having different sets of values seems to generate serious conflicts for me on this issue. Having once lived nearer the top of the food chain than I do now, I am beginning to see and feel differently about people whose value to culture depends on their likely contribution to the nation. I think the fairest, simplest, and least-likely to promote corruption answer is to have totally open borders. If you want to leave, leave. Enter, enter. And have a good day.
Doug Henry, Descanso, Calif., USA
Two key changes for reform
I have interviewed hundreds of illegal immigrants in my immigration practice. Almost all want the same thing: work. They don't care much about our culture or politics. We have two major problems with our immigration policy: the bureaucracy and existing laws. If the bureaucracy (ICE) was improved, we could then process identification cards for work authorizations. Second, we must implement a true "guest worker" program without amnesty. Those two changes would go a long way to solve many of our problems coupled with stringent employer sanctions.
John Snow, Palm Springs, Calif., USA
Welcome, immigrants
We are a nation composed of immigrants. They are needed in every segment of our economy, from the low-skilled construction worker from Belize to the genius from Bangalore. More power to the ones who have made it here. I salute them because they are here to work, and they want to support themselves. They want the opportunities not available to them at home - the ones we often take for granted. So more power to them. Welcome.
Travis Leverett, Lubbock, Tex., USA
Before reform, control
In order to reform the immigration system you must first have control of it. That control is exercised through enforcement of our current laws. Construct the fence where necessary, hire more border agents, and stop prosecuting them for doing their thankless jobs. Prosecute criminal employers under existing law and stop giving away social services to people with no legal right to be here.
With no jobs or freebies, many will go home the same way they got here: on their own. Others will be deported as they are caught.
Guy Pinestra, Atlanta, Ga., USA
Five things
If I had the unlimited, unrestricted power to re-jigger the immigration policy I would:
1. Fence in the border to help the Border Patrol secure it against terrorist infiltration as well as illegal immigration.
2. Revamp the citizenship process so that costs are minimal and only necessary paperwork and background investigations are required.
3. Require that English classes are attended after an individual is accepted as a legal resident. This is necessary to insure that the individual has the necessary language skills to make it in our society.
4. Eliminate any preferential treatment to any country. Everybody plays by the same rules.
5. Keep an open mind and be flexible in all things.
Frank Gallo, Williamsburg, Va., USA
No reform
No reform. Strictly enforce the laws currently on the books. Quotas enforced, deportation enforced, employers not checking documents fined. Major publicity campaign started calling for Mexico to reform its economy to get its people to work. Highlight corruption where it resides and embarrass them into taking action. Prepare total of costs to US for welfare, medical, crime, and deportation. Any foreign aid to Mexico would have this figure deducted. If no aid, then send bill.
John Moore, Los Angeles, Calif., USA
Enforce US laws
Our economy relies on an underground economy based upon exploitation of low cost undocumented illegal immigrants. In a utopian world, everyone would be as free to move from country to country as Americans are free to move from state to state. I can't imagine living my life stuck within the borders of one state. We are fortunate.
In the real world, we need to enforce our laws. We should modify those laws as necessary to maximize the benefits of our immigration and guest worker policies for our citizens. This policy should reflect the benefits of immigration and support of diversity while focusing on maintaining our Western cultural heritage. Our recent forays into government building in the Middle East have reiterated how real and baffling cultural differences are, and how precious to Americans, is our Western cultural heritage.
Mike Benning, Wayne, Penn., USA
Three key considerations
Immigration reform should include three key components:
1. Normal immigration should be entirely fair as to country of origin.
2. Strong penalties should be included for all organizations and persons employing illegal immigrants.
3. Special treatment should be extended to refugees based on ongoing criteria, and Congress should regularly review specific circumstances which might justify special immigration (such as Iraqis who are in danger for having helped US forces in their country).
In order to reduce the incentives for illegal immigration, specific countries of origin should be the targets of political pressure to increase fairness in employment and other important life-impacting factors, and economic assistance should be given them to help them to achieve such changes.
Any public policy designed to protect workers (e.g. minimum wage, safety and health protections, etc.) is effectively neutralized by allowing employers to hire illegal aliens. Any so-called "guest worker" program produces the same result. Fines against employers for violations should be substantial, and a portion of the fines paid could be dedicated to foreign assistance designed to encourage people to stay in their home countries.
Philip Murphy, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Make immigration easier
I think immigration should be made easier. I have several friends who are here from Japan working. One is here on a year-long visa; the other on a three-year visa. Both of them had to pay several thousand dollars for their visas. It's absurd that it should cost so much for a visa. Imagine if you are from a country that is not as well off, like Mexico. Legal immigration is no longer just expensive; it is impossible to afford. Current immigration policy guarantees that most immigration from other American countries would be illegal, and it needs to be replaced with something less prohibitive and difficult.
Brian Baker, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Visas for engineers
Over half of engineers graduating in the US are non-citizens. We should hand every US-educated engineer a working visa with his diploma; engineers create jobs. Our company cannot find enough qualified talent.
Jeanne Dietsch, Amherst, N.H., USA
