I always have questions that are not answered in news reports and ideas that are not discussed by the people concerned with finding solutions to America’s problems, such as illegal immigration.
One small aspect of this huge problem is the so-called dreamers, people who have grown up in this country, having been brought here as children. Most people in this country believe that these people should be granted a path to citizenship, with the right to go to school, work, and receive the benefits of citizens. It seems reasonable, considering that the local governments have had the expense of educating them, that they should reap the rewards of their labor and we should reap the rewards of their industry and ingenuity.
The question of the estimated 11 million illegal adult immigrants, who are a mixture of cross-border illegals and people who entered the U.S. legally but outstayed their visas, has advocates for diametrically opposed positions.
The Republicans are opposed to any amnesty for people who are here illegally. The Democrats believe that they should have amnesty, with a path to citizenship, a position actually taken by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Keeping such large numbers of people in limbo does great harm to many American citizens, including children of immigrants born in this country, and creates disorder in society in general, promoting an illegal, underground economy that avoids paying taxes and increases costs on law enforcement. It is time to resolve this backlog of undocumented people in our country.
I suggest an alternative solution. I oppose granting amnesty to those who have broken the law. However, I believe those who have integrated into their community and have family in this country should be allowed to stay, as long as they do not commit felonies. Rather than amnesty, I propose that they be granted a provisional permanent-resident status that would allow them to live and work here. They would never be eligible for citizenship and could never vote.
I suggest that the tax code could be amended to place special costs on these people, perhaps a surcharge on the regular income tax, and additional years to qualify for receiving social security.
This would penalize them for having broken the law in entering illegally but allow them to continue to live and work here. Families would not be broken up, and this country would continue to benefit from their contributions to our economy, plus a little extra to support of government expenses.
This morning, I heard an excellent interview with ex-President George W. Bush in which he spoke very sensibly in a way that could be supported by people of either party. He was not speaking as a Republican, and he refused to be drawn into judgmental comments about anything said by politicians, which earned my respect. I hope that his new book will receive the attention it deserves.
Judith Truesdell lives in Shelburne.