Bullets and Blueberries: Vote Smart: Comprehensive Immigration Only In Moderation

Securing our border is essential to securing the homeland. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, more than half a million illegal immigrants enter the country each year. For the most part, these illegal immigrants toil diligently at housekeeping, agricultural, janitorial and construction jobs. By undercutting market-distorting minimum wage and employment laws, they contribute to our economic growth and keep prices low. In fact, one could say that illegal immigrants epitomize the laissez-faire economy.

Just as opponents of illegal immigration must confess its economic benefits, its apologists must also acknowledge its costs. Illegal immigrants undermine the rule of law by cutting ahead of everyone patiently waiting in the immigration queue. Given that roughly half a million immigrants, according to the Pew Center, enter the country legally each year -- many of whom wait several years for the privilege -- it is fundamentally unfair that a slightly greater number openly flouts the law to get in.

Illegal immigration cannot continue unabated without undermining American law and order, burdening border-state property owners, and compromising the safety of the immigrants.
However, we cannot neglect to overlook what many anti-immigrant organizations in the west don't seem to realize is that there are huge number of legal intelligent immigrants entering the country everyday. And their home country’s loss is our gain. For every engineer, doctor, nurse or researcher that India loses to the States, America becomes that much more competitive in technology, medicine and science. Additionally, data released by the Census Bureau shows that immigrants who arrived over the past several years are better educated than those who arrived in the late nineties. Likewise, children of immigrants are more financially successful than their parents and they have higher professional skills.

The immigration system should be reformed and a comprehensive immigration policy must be reached. So, that all those who enter the United States are required to have a legitimate offer of employment from an American employer, and all those who have one should have entry expedited. Nevertheless, there is no question that we need to strengthen Homeland security and our borders must be secured. The government should expend massive resources guarding our borders against potential lurking terrorist.

Center for Immigration Studies Director of Research, Steven Camarota explains that:

“Because every part of our immigration system has been exploited by terrorists, we cannot reform just one area, but must address the problems that exist throughout. The solution is not to single out Middle Easterners for exclusion or selective enforcement. Instead we need to more carefully check the backgrounds of all visa applicants, better police the borders, strictly enforce the law within the country, and, most importantly, reduce the level of immigration to give government agencies the breathing space necessary to implement fundamental reforms.”

Our strategy for comprehensive immigration reforms begins by securing the border. Nevertheless, we also believe that Government must employ innovative solutions such as taxing employment of immigrants if they want to discourage new immigrants, or create tax incentives for employing them if they want more. Yet, we have listed below what we believe like President Bush a Comprehensive Immigration policy should include: