We are all descendants of immigrants. My father's family came from Wales, and my mother's came from western Germany. Becoming an American citizen was the dream. And all those chasing it arrived through our front door and were properly documented. And for most of them their dream came true. And while that same process continues today, the majority of our immigrants arrive through the back door and remain undocumented. That's the rub, really. Finding a way to reestablish control over the doors along our southern border. Without it, any immigration policy will fail. But success will also require that we find a way to make the dream come true for those already among us.
Where I live, in southwest Florida, I've seen widening a five-mile stretch of road take nearly three years. So I'm less than enthusiastic about building a security wall 3,000 miles long. Instead, a combination of American technology and manpower will successfully secure our border. Technology will detect and follow border violators in real time, and sufficient American manpower will ensure their timely interdiction. But securing our southern border requires our dysfunctional Congress to act. However, a Congress dumbstruck to find a Libertarian in the White House - and you can bet they will be absolutely dumbstruck - Congress may find themselves swept away by the same changing tide should they fail to act soon enough.
Securing our southern border will also require a substantial and simultaneous commitment from the administration of Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Think of a Wal-Mart super store. At strategic but frequent points just south of the border, Mexico builds immigration centers to facilitate a legal and orderly process for those wanting to come to the US. Applicants will be screened first by Mexican authorities before moving down the line to be vetted by American officials. Once this process is complete and the proper documentation issued, legal immigration can proceed.
This plan, securing our southern border with American technology and manpower, combined with the construction of Mexican immigration centers, can be accomplished within 3 years. During that period, which will see an ever-decreasing number of illegal border crossings, we will require the 12 million or so undocumented immigrants already among us to come forward and be legitimized. The fact that nearly all will welcome such an opportunity can not be overstated. But neither can the fact that reprisal for doing so is their greatest fear.
With the obvious exception of their illegal status, most immigrants are hardworking and law-abiding individuals. A process which allows them to come out of the shadows and identify themselves, whether to immigration or law enforcement, without fear of reprisal is the most viable. And once this temporary documentation is in place, a trip back to the Mexican immigration centers for final documentation must be taken within 6 months. These individuals will then be allowed to re-enter the United States, but must wait a full 5 years before applying for citizenship. And it is entirely feasible that by 2012 this policy will resolve the issue of illegal immigration across our southern border.
The many immigrants I've spoken with support this policy, viewing it as the best way to weed out the undesirables among them and allow their dream to come true. Which is something all Americans, each descendant from immigrants, should openly embrace.
