The Immigration Conundrum

What does the future of our nation look like?

For the past ten to fifteen years, illegal immigration from predominantly the southern US border has been continuously getting worse. Congress has been reluctant to develop meaningful bills to manage our borders better. As the two parties seem to be drifting further apart and thus refusing to cooperate, the situation worsens by the day. Kicking the can down the road every four years will not resolve this thorny issue. As the weather and economic situation in many third-world countries deteriorate, the immigration challenge will only get worse. Sending the many illegal aliens to the liberal northern US states makes a point of the dire situation at the border; however, it does not solve the issue at hand. This “saloon Communism,” where the comfortable elite idealizes a shared utopia for all (no borders), is nothing but a pipe dream with potentially horrific consequences.

Let us define illegal immigrants. Normal immigration (i.e., legal) requires one to apply for immigration with a lengthy and expensive period of background investigation and guarantee that the new immigrant will not become a burden on society. This path may be realistic for professionals, but for others who may be in great danger, this path is unrealistic. This latter group of immigrants is referred to as illegals (avoiding or unable to go through legal channels) since they have yet to go through the normal process of applying for asylum. Among the illegals, there are three subclasses. The first is paperless candidates entering the border through legal channels requesting asylum. The second group of illegals is the one that bypasses the legal entry points and tries to infiltrate through other illegal means. This latter group, if caught, should be evicted immediately with no future chance of migrating to the US. The third group is the ones who legally come to the US as visitors and remain in the US beyond the expiration date of their visa. This group, if caught, needs to apply legally for residency or be evicted, especially if there are any judgments against them. The three groups of illegals defined above can never own guns or vote for practically two generations.

New thinking about immigration, including its illegal aspects, should be carefully scrutinized and developed into a meaningful, enforceable policy. Legal immigration policy should create quotas and requirements for accepting all associated immigration applications. Based on national needs consideration, prioritization of verifiable essential skilled candidates and their immediate families will move up the queue. All applicants must agree that by coming into a new country, they must abide by the country’s laws, which may contradict the rules and acceptable customs of their country of origin. As in the past, each candidate needs to be vetted carefully and made aware of the caveat that the applicant will be on probation for his lifetime.

Suppose the legal immigrant breaks his promise to be a law-abiding citizen. In that case, following any conviction in a court of law, the candidate will face immediate eviction from the country. Each legal immigrant will get a green card with a path to citizenship. After the five-year waiting period, the candidate can apply for conditional (still under probation with no firearms purchasing ability) citizenship. The citizenship exam should cover basic language skills (English) and a basic understanding of our form of government. Free night classes, taught by volunteers, will be offered to new immigrants to help transition them into our society.

The issue of refugees who want to enter the country, even if it is by illegal means, is much more complex. We, as Americans, feel empathy for the genuine refugees who escape violence or oppression. But the truth is much more difficult to discern in today’s internet and social media environment. People who illegally infiltrate through our borders (predominantly the southern border) are opportunists who wish to improve their economic situation. Some are also motivated by criminal opportunities, such as drug dealing and covert spying or sinister missions for foreign countries. Illegals without any US-sanctioned and traceable documents should face eviction. This harsh reality is imposed predominantly on males. Yet, the government should be more flexible towards women and children with the understanding that extended family reunions may be prevented for the next twenty-five years, provided the applicant has a clear crime-free record.

On the other hand, “refugees” trying to enter the country illegally and get caught need to be carefully vetted. If verified to be safe, they will get legal temporary papers after getting a DNA sample and fingerprints for the government’s database (in today’s environment, it is a good idea to have DNA samples and fingerprints for all immigrants). Acceptance of refugees has to be limited to the quota guidelines, which restrict immigration numbers for specific ethnic groups.

All refugees (especially the illegal. ones) must agree that their acceptance to the US will place them on probation for two generations plus disqualification to vote or own guns. A discussion of other constraints is given below after clarification of the issue of ethnic density.

Let us regress for a minute to understand the impact of uncontrolled immigration, especially that of refugees from third-world countries. Since birds of a feather flock together, new immigrants naturally tend to live in communities that “feel like back home.” Thus, given complete freedom of movement, small fiefdoms can develop, or the equivalent of ghettos, where ethnic houses of worship get built, traditional food served, and foreign language becomes the primary one and widely accepted. Depending on the number of immigrants, their isolation and voting power changes the dynamics of that town or state. The clustering of a small number of members of an ethnic group, like the Chinese in Chinatown Town, is not objectable; indeed, it is the type of “spice” a city enjoys having. The issue is when the number of members of one group becomes the critical mass that will forever change the landscape (e.g., Dearborn, MI).

Observing the experience of European countries with a large influx of refugees from vastly different cultures with entirely separate sets of core values, one can conclude that a large number of refugees clustering in one place is a big problem, primarily regarding crime. Some cities like Melmo in Sweden have become mini-states rather than a well-integrated society. Minnesota has similar clusters of Somalis that feel independent within the US state (including their congress representative) yet are not part of the American fiber. That is, Somaia comes first, and America is a convenient second.

Letting refugees (especially the ones who come from places that do not share our set of core values) complete freedom of movement would result in clustering, which is contrary to assimilation. One way to resolve this issue and avoid a fifth column is to demand that the first ten years of a newly accepted refugee will be spent in a government-defined region (depending on skills and the region’s demand), where they would be limited in number and thus avoid the natural tendency of clustering together.

Suppose the newcomers are obligated to live in a specified town where they will have access to social services for the first two years, will be compelled to learn English, and will be trained for jobs. In that case, there is a chance that such an arrangement will make it easier for newcomers to integrate in due time. After ten years, they will have complete freedom to move anywhere in the country to continue their life as desired. One should emphasize one constraint: the first generation of refugees can never vote in any US elections (this is to prevent politicians from “buying” votes).

Furthermore, they will be eligible for citizenship after 25 years but under probation for two generations. Any criminal convictions will ensure that they get evicted from this country. Those who enter the country under refugee status can not own firearms for the first two generations. Family reunification or birthright (to become a US citizen at birth) can only occur after the first twenty-five years with a clean legal record. Any child born in the US before the twenty-five-year holding period will be a temporary resident and must apply for permanent residency, provided their records are clean.

The related and greatly misused birthright law needs an immediate update. Currently, any child born in the US is automatically a US citizen. The current birthright law, made before travel was easy, must be changed. In recent years, foreign nationals have misused this birthright law. The current birthright law should be modified so that only a child born to a US-citizen mother is automatically a US citizen. The updated law will avoid sham marriages and tourism businesses built around the misuse of birthrights.

The quota system should limit immigration or refugee acceptance within relative proportions. Any one ethnic group in large numbers (even following the rules suggested above) will change the demographics as well as the culture. As an example, a large number of Hispanics from South America who refuse to integrate would ultimately cause a significant cultural shift that will result in clashes as well as unwelcome political influence. That is different from the integration goal under one set of core values. Just like driving without common laws is not manageable, so is society. Immigration, like salt, is good in small quantities when added to soup, i.e., our society.

Current immigration laws are either not enforced or badly mismanaged. Illegals that fall into this gray zone fall into an environment where their actions encourage others (positive feedback loop), thus fundamentally creating “pseudo-legal” slavery, where below-market hourly pay enables some industries to increase profits. In contrast, illegals can barely manage to survive, therefore becoming a burden on our social safety net.

In summary, some significant changes need to take place if our unworkable current immigration policy is to become more effective.

1. Birthright laws changed to reflect reality.
2. Effective border filtering of migrants with illegals (those who avoided the legal way to apply for immigration) handled with well-known constraints after careful vetting
3. Work out a Quota system (based on current demographics and labor needs) that limits immigration of specific ethnic groups per year.
4. Disperse newcomers (predominantly refugees) throughout the country for a ten-year obligatory residence. During this time, social services will be accessible together with language learning, job training, and a job. After ten years with no criminal record, the immigrant can move anywhere in the country; however, they are still under probation regulations (no voting rights, no ownership of firearms, applicable to the second generation for their first 25 years. Volunteering to the armed forces may shorten this window).
5. Vetted refugees who managed to enter the country will never have citizenship or be able to vote (but become permanent residents). Even though the second generation of illegals is born in the US, they can only be US citizens if they are born after the ten-year initial obligation. Illegal immigrants cannot expect a reward for their short-circuiting the legal system. Suppose the first generation has a clean record and is an upright citizen. In that case, the next generation may apply for citizenship after being in the country for at least 25 years.
6. Incitement and explicit hate is also a ground for eviction. Whether it is on social media, demonstrations, or speeches, these are all grounds for eviction. Breaking the pledge to obey all US laws is grounds for eviction, no matter what one’s original culture accepts.
7. Redefinition of the rules of freedom of religion is needed. No religious entity can be political or spread hate. If the legal court confirms the allegations of hate speech or teaching, the spiritual center should closed for good and put out of business.
8. All religious buildings, such as houses of worship or religious schools, can only be built with local funding and within the county’s architectural constraints. No foreign funds, directly or indirectly, will be used. Land purchases are not allowed but only leased from the government for those desiring to take advantage of the tax system and the current lax regulations. The initial market value of the land will be the collateral for the property to be refunded if the religious building is out of business or shut down by the government. The latter condition has the caveat that if the place is closed due to criminal acts, the security money will be forfeited. Upon the natural closure of a religious facility, the security money must be refunded and distributed equally among all the legal houses of worship members (per share of the initial members/investors, so to speak).
9. No immigrant (legal or illegal/refugee) should be allowed to own guns or any other weapons unless it is a job requirement with its unique tight constraints. In the case of refugees, this restriction will remain in force for two generations.

Immigration is a complex issue to manage and control, especially for a free society. However, if we do not take this issue seriously and prevent it from getting out of control, we will pay a dear price. Those who want to do us harm will find ways within our lax laws to covertly infiltrate our society and then take over our naive society. If winning the lottery means, at the least, buying a ticket, we must at least set the laws to protect our future. Demographics will guide the future of this country.

Let Congress know that you are concerned for our future. If they do not get going with meaningful bills to control the borders of our country, we will ultimately lose our freedoms, values, and culture. Time is of the essence as we watch Europe slowly collapse due to its myopia when it comes to immigration and assimilation. Islamists, for example, have a long horizon, much longer than the 4-year election cycle in the US.

GAB