Thoughts on Immigration

Arizona, my home, has been in the news for quite some time regarding its prominence as a corridor for massive immigration, for drug smuggling and other criminal activity, and recently for an attempt to address a part of the problem.  Making my living in the janitorial industry (we're a cleaning service in Phoenix Az), I deal with fake ID, and the associated issues, all the time.

For what it's worth, my approach to sorting out the immigration mess:

1) Secure the border, as was promised in the immigration legislation passed under Reagan.  Folks coming here to work hard at lower skilled jobs are not a security risk, but large numbers of felons are mixed in with them, as are many drug runners (often of the violent variety).  Further, evidence is appearing that a good many folks from mid-east terrorist harboring countries are in the mix.

2) Enforce visa expirations.  Some half of all folks here illegally did not sneak across the border; they entered legally under visas, and overstayed the time limit.  As far as I know, the government does not keep track of visa holders as they leave, so has no idea of who is still here.  If we did keep track, we could issue warrants on all those still here who have overstayed, and work to locate them.

3) Create a liberal guest worker program.  Many jobs (not only low wage ones) need foreigners to fill; foreigners need the jobs.  Let them in legally, let them work "on the books", pay taxes and workers comp, and enjoy all the usual workplace protections,such as OSHA.  Makes little sense to deny illegals legal jobs, thus forcing them to work "off the books" to survive - and not pay taxes.  If they can come in legally and work legally, there is much less incentive for masses of folks to try the expensive, and risky, desert border crossing.  Fewer people coming across makes it easier to catch those who do.

4) Set up a decent ID system.  The audit Homeland Security did of e-verify, several months ago, documented what many of us have long suspected - 54% of illegals presented to e-verify passed.  Fake Social Security cards can be had in Phoenix for around $25.00.  If the name and SSN on the card, and presented to e-verify, match, it passes - no matter how many full time jobs that name and number currently hold around the country.  E-verify could check the SSN against credit reports (commercially available), income tax records, employer records, etc., to expose most frauds.  Social Security cards could come with a magnetic strip, and be tied to some sort of biometric - say a thumbprint.  The prospective employer could read the magnetic strip (most firms have electronic credit card readers already) and, using available inexpensive hardware, read the thumbprint (from the thumb attached to the applicant) and send electronically to e-verify, for instant verification.  Hard to fake; hard to use someone else's ID.  States could do the same with the "papers" we all carry - our driver's license.  Visas and guest worker cards, naturally, would use the same system.  Federal law requires foreigners to carry ID, and has since 1940; easy enough to make that ID hard to abuse.

5) Set up a rational path toward citizenship, based on potential productivity (job skills and such), avoidance of criminal activities, and learning the language.

6) Figure out how to address the illegals already here.  With the above program in place, guest workers available legally and without penalty for those employers who need them, and decent ID available, those without ID would be much easier to spot.  At minimum, any illegals we decide to allow to stay would need a thorough background check, leading to ID and the guest worker program.

Like many issues in our society - it's not rocket science.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

Comments

[Paul N. Marston]

Read your immigration piece and think you are on the right track. The problem is that the two sides are so busy trying to make political points off each other and/or pushing an extreme agenda, there is no consideration of a middle ground (as usual).

[Bob Croft]

Thanks for the kind words. Seems to me the recent demonstrations, and the related commentary pro and con, is mostly designed to harden the two sides in their respective positions. Little chance of an early resolution.

FYI - Paul edits http://www.marstonchronicles.info/, a site following politics at the national level.