<stepping on soap box>
This is a complicated issue which seems to have gotten lost behind *the wall*
…
Illegal immigrants…
• People overstaying their visas (actually this is the higher of the number)
• Flying in on forged passports
• Ports (by boat, we are surrounded by water)
• Ports (by car, as a tourist)
• Tunnels (This way usually means drugs.)
• *Jumping the fence\wall* border crossings
We *use* them for…
• Cheap labor (farms, some small businesses, i.e. restaurants and production shops, i.e. sweat shops, clothing production)
• Jobs *American’s* won’t do (and yes, for some jobs American’s will do but not as cheaply)
• Janitorial
• Housekeeping (Remember. We had a few elected officials that had to *fix* that as they hired illegal immigrants)
• Indentured servants or sex slaves
IMHO, a wall is 18th century (or earlier) *tech*. Why not use drones that can spot a flea on a dog from a good 100 yards or more away? We have eyes in the sky that could do the same thing. We also could use some more *boots on the ground* to reel in the visa overstays.
And I have to say, when you tell me my neighbor is going to pay for a fence for almost two years and then suddenly *tell* me I have to pay for it… I’m going to be a little put off. You didn’t ask me, you *told* me! I’d rather take that money and spend it on the homeless veterans. Hell, we could give them the job of guarding the borders thereby killing two bird with one stone.
We also need to consider that American companies are *hiring* these people because they are cheap and the can *abuse* them. How do we deal with that? It’s only a problem for companies if they get caught and most don’t which probably explains why only the *people* are complaining and not the companies.
It might also benefit us to take a look at mental health, technology and economic conditions. Especially, technology that we have been warned was pushing workers out of work. It’s hard to blame a machine for your lack of employment so let’s blame the immigrants. And forget about crime as an argument… American’s have committed for more crimes than any immigrant, legal or illegal. So, that argument is a non-starter.
Do we need immigration reform? Most definitely! However, we all need to put on our big boy pants and high heels and come to the table and *talk* to each other not *at* each other. Seems to me everyone is running around trying to figure out who gave them the cold instead of taking the medicine to get rid of the cold.
<stepping off soap box>