Hemphill: A plan to solve the illegal immigration problem

Illegal immigration is a classic cost/benefit problem.

The “cost” is the social and financial cost of the families of illegal alien workers in school, medical and criminal activities. The “benefit” is the workers’ labor in activities where American labor is lacking.

Most solutions call for some deportation of otherwise law-abiding women and children. This raises the hackles on the necks of many Americans.

My plan, described below, institutes a “carrot” to entice those families to self-deport, and a “stick” if they do not take the carrot. (All at no additional cost to the taxpayers.)

1) Secure the border.

2) Deport all convicted criminal illegal aliens.

3) Double (or even triple) legal immigration from all Latin American countries.

4) Institute a worker program with all current illegal alien workers in specific labor categories eligible for a 10-year Green Card (renewable in five-year increments on good behavior) – if (and only if) they agree to have their non-American-citizen family members immediately move back to their home country. (Violators will lose their Green Card status).

5) Institute a controlled guest worker program of new workers, based on two-year, unaccompanied tours (renewable three times on good behavior).

This proposal would blunt claims of racism, decrease immeasurably the social cost drain on the taxpayer, and provide a large source for low-cost labor while keeping the remittances to Latin American countries generally untouched.

This is a win-win situation in which there is an incentive for self-deportation of those who are a drain on taxpayers, while keeping the benefit(s) of labor in a known and regulated manner.

I like illegal aliens. I have fed them, housed them, arranged for their work, and collected their just debts – all at no cost. But I hate illegal immigration because the social cost has far exceeded the labor benefit.

Let’s discuss humane solutions to human problems, and leave the punitive methods to the most egregious matters. Deportation is a method more suitable to a problem that requires instant solutions – our illegal alien population has lived with us with minimal problems for many decades and while we need to address the problem, it should be addressed in a less contentious manner than letting line-breakers stay at the front of the line or deportation.

And make no mistake, the Democrats’ policy will leave the line-breakers at the head of the line – they remain comfortable in the U.S. for years while other Latinos who have behaved properly remain in Rio, or Mexico City.

My proposal has added importance since the passing of the health care bill. Those self-deporting are at the low end of the economic scale and will require subsidies, while those who apply for the increased legal immigration must by law have a sponsor who attests that he or she will pick up the economic slack if the immigrant is not capable.

We trade educated Latino immigrants in a legal status for basically uneducated Latino immigrants in an illegal status.

Further, the Democrats’ proposal does not address at all the millions of illegal aliens who choose not to even apply for American citizenship!

Mine does. Humanely