Our government has been shut down now for four weeks ostensibly about border security, but really because both sides like the fight. President Trump is acting like there is no barrier at the border and the Democrats act as if walls are immoral. I wish we could have an honest discussion of what is needed. Here is what I would like to hear a politician say:
"We are a nation of immigrants but we are also a nation of laws. We welcome legal immigrants. But we welcome them badly. By law, we allow refugees to resettle in the US. In practice, they remain stuck in a legal limbo--not knowing if they can stay or not. Our immigration courts are backed up so badly that people can spend years waiting for their day in court--years waiting to find out if they are legally allowed to remain. With our legal immigration system so overloaded, it is no wonder that there are so many people here illegally. We have 10 million people living and working here without legal permission. These include students who overstay their visa. Tourists who don't return home. And the hundreds of thousands of people who sneak across our southern border every year. These are 10 million people who live in fear of deportation. 10 million people who are ripe for abuse. 10 million people who can't vote for a government to protect them.
To combat this problem, we will undertake the following four-pronged approach:
-
We will double the number of judges reviewing immigration cases. Within a month of being picked up or applying for asylum, an immigrant should have his or her case resolved. We need enough judges to be able to conduct hearings fairly and quickly. We will work quickly through the backlog and establish a fair system to ensure that we can sort through those who are allowed to stay and those who are not.
-
We will increase the security on the southern border. We have made great strides to reduce this number, but haven't solved it. Before 9/11, we had 1.6 million people coming across our southern border in a single year. We built fences and barriers and have reduced that down to 400,000. But that is still too many. Some of the barriers we built have fallen apart and people have found new routes across the border. To increase border security, we will increase electronic surveillance, hire more border guards, and reinforce weak points along the border. We want to be sure that we know what is coming through our border crossing points and what is trying to cross outside of those points.
-
We will continue to improve vetting at our consulates around the world: Anyone is welcome to apply to come to the United States, regardless of their race, nationality, or religion. However, we get to choose who we allow to receive those visas. We will carefully vet each applicant. If we have any doubts about a person or their application, we will reject it. We recognize that this makes it difficult for people from countries with weak governments to satisfy our requirements. However, we have to keep our country safe.
-
We will limit chain migration: Anyone born in the United States is a US citizen. However, anyone with a US relative is not entitled to US citizenship. Relatives of US citizens can apply for visas and citizenship in the same way that anyone else can apply. Their claims will be processed as will any other applicants.
Finally, we will continue to defer deportation of children who were brought here illegally but have lived their lives in the United States. We recognize that our immigration system is broken and that these people fell through the cracks. By taking the four steps outlined above, we won't allow this to happen again. However, we have invested heavily in educating these Dreamers. We want them to stay. We will begin reviewing the people registered for DACA and will issue green cards to those who meet the legal requirements. With a green card, they will be eligible to apply for citizenship in five years.
We also recognize that strong walls and strong laws will not end the problem of migration alone. We need strong neighbors. We are significantly increasing our commitments to helping our neighbors to grow their economies through trade and increased assistance.
By taking a comprehensive approach to improving our immigration system, we hope to reduce the population of those living here without proper paperwork. We will continue to welcome legal immigrants, tourist, student, and business travelers. We are proud of our country and understand why people want to come here. However, we will manage the flow of migrants to protect the jobs of our citizens."
