Decisions Must Be Made: Workable Immigration Policy Requires Compromise
Ventura Star, April 3, 2006

By Terry Paulson, PhD

America is at a crossroads on the illegal immigration issue. Our politicians are pushing for compromise legislation that both the House and the Senate can approve and the President will sign. Hopefully, they will have the political will to find a sane pathway through this terribly divisive issue.

The extremes are highly visible. We have hundreds of thousands of pro-immigrant demonstrators taking to the streets in a call for less punitive measures. Many of those demonstrators want open borders and amnesty for those already here.

You have an equally committed group of American citizens who support the Minutemen on the border, who want to deport all 12 million illegal immigrants living in America and erect a wall to keep them out for good!

As Congress finally tackles this hot-button issue, Bush continues to call for a viable middle ground, "The immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and dignified way….We should not give in to pessimism. If we work together I am confident we can meet our duty to fix our immigration system and deliver a bill that protects our people, upholds our laws and makes our people proud."

That is the challenge, and such an immigration system is going to upset a lot of people. The hope is that both extremes will be equally disappointed, but the vast majority will celebrate a workable plan that can finally be implemented.

There are key provisions that should be included in any compromise legislation:

To stem the tide of new undocumented workers arriving daily, end the catch-and-release program. If caught, illegal immigrants should be detained and then deported as soon as possible.

Work to secure the border by doubling the current force of 11,300 Border Patrol agents. The Senate has voted to add 2,000 agents next year and 2,400 more annually through 2011. Until forces are adequate, consider the deployment of the National Guard at key access points.

The two-layer fence has worked in limiting terrorism in Israel. It's time to fund the House request to erect a 700-mile, two-layer fence along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. Create a "virtual wall" of unmanned vehicles, cameras and sensors for other areas. Add a version of the "guest worker" program that Bush wants for illegal immigrants. Negotiate a plan that most can accept.

Have secure identity cards for guest workers, citizens and legal foreign residents. It's time for conservatives and liberals to get over their fear of a national ID card. We need a reliable way to ensure that people have a legal right to be here, secure jobs, receive services and vote.

Require any employer hiring guest workers to confirm their identity by accessing an updated online guest worker registry with pictures. Employers who did not comply would be subject to civil penalties and fines; repeat offenders would be open to prosecution and up to six months in jail.

Finally, there should be no blanket amnesty. Let's make room for a lengthy pathway to citizenship for those illegal immigrants in our country who want to become "Americans." But I agree with Teddy Roosevelt who insisted that America can have no room for what he called "fifty-fifty allegiance." In a speech made in 1917 he said, "It is our boast that we admit the immigrant to full fellowship and equality with the native-born. In return we demand that he shall share our undivided allegiance to the one flag which floats over all of us." Let's end bilingual education and require English-only ballot. Marching with a Mexican flag in hand in support of open borders should not earn you citizenship! Those who want to work to build the Mexican Dream can come and work here as guest workers, but they should then return to their own country where they can proudly wave their own flags!

With that in mind, include a way for existing illegal immigrants who have settled and worked in America for over six years and who want to become "Americans" to initiate a process that could lead to American citizenship. The path should not be easy, and those who want to be citizens should get in line behind those who have applied legally. To reach citizenship, they would need to prove English proficiency, show an appropriate job and residence history, pass a criminal background check and pay an agreed-upon fine. By requiring six years of residence we could help deter more illegal immigrants from rushing over the border to take advantage of any citizenship opportunities.

Don't give me enforcement only. Don't give me just amnesty or open borders either. Don't make it a felony for good Samaritans to give help to illegal immigrants in need. Do give America a workable immigration system and then act. Bush must lead; Congress must respond with a balanced plan. As Yogi Berra has said, "When you come to the fork in the road, take it." It is time for action in Washington, action that should have taken place years ago.

Dr. Terry Paulson is a psychologist, speaker and author of The Dinner: The Political Conversation Your Mother Told You Never to Have. Share your comments at his PoliticalTalk Blog or contact him at Terry@TerryPaulson.com.

—May we never forget how truly blessed we are!