Illegal immigration has been a pressing issue since the early 20th century. It seems like the United States has been able to find solutions (temporary and permanent) to most of the issues this nation has faced.
Illegal immigration is the outlier. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are to blame for this. Donald Trump realized this. Lo and behold, Trump stomped into the 2016 election, acting like a champion of this issue. His idea? “We’re build to do a wall; we’re going to have a big, fat beautiful door on the wall.”
You would think that the wall is just a talking point and there’s more to his plan but nope. On his website, Donald lays out three things he believes will solve the immigration crisis: a nation without laws is not a nation, a nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation and last but not least, a nation without borders is not a nation. Check it out for yourself.
Of course, to a certain extent, Donald is right (I thought for a second my fingers would catch on fire after typing that). There needs to be order through laws, citizens ought to be free to pursue their interests and a country must have borders.
But Donald, the steps you want to take to accomplish this reform is where you are incredibly misguided. So, here’s why your plan to deport over 11 million illegal immigrants, make Mexico pay for a beautiful wall and any other radical ideas that may pop into your head in the future won’t work.
When Donald gets challenged about his stance on the deportation of illegal immigrants, he brings up the likeness of his plan to President Eisenhower’s Operation Wetback. Essentially meaning a plan of deportation worked then and it ought to work now. A few issues here. First, Operation Wetback was successful in deporting around three million illegal immigrants at most. There is a significant difference between three and 11 million illegal immigrants. Of the 11 million illegal immigrants, who chooses which three million are deported? Even in the hypothetical that this plan worked, it would have catastrophic impacts on the economy.
In fact, a study by the American Action Forum finds that the “immediate” deportation of illegal immigrants would cost the economy anything from $400 to $600 billion in government resources and lost market activity. It gets worse. The GDP of the United States would drop by $1.6 trillion and the economy would lose almost 6 percent of growth. However, it’s not as practical or easy as identifying, locating, rounding up and, finally, deporting more than 11 million immigrants (roughly equivalent to the population of Ohio). This would take at least 20 years.
Speaking of practicality, it’s important to recognize the origins of the illegal immigrants in the United States. This is especially important in the scope of deportation. Donald consistently attempts to paint this picture that the issue of illegal immigration comes down to the United States versus Mexico. In reality, illegal immigrants from Mexico barely make up the majority. The rest of the illegal immigrants have origins in other Latin American and Asian countries. The issue of deportation isn’t as simple as Donald makes it seem.
Although Donald’s plan of mass deportation is ridiculous, there still needs to be a solution. And there is one — a pathway to citizenship. Cue the red flags. Now before you exit out of my article, hear me out. First, the majority of Americans prefer a pathway to citizenship. Second, it doesn’t obliterate our economy like deportation. Third, it’s morally right to allow families to stick together. Fourth, the pathway isn’t paved with smooth sailing. It is a long procedure that takes upwards of 10 or more years for illegal immigrants to finally attain citizenship. Last but not least, Washington can finally begin its process in fixing our broken immigration system with a pathway.
Those who say Republicans will never side with the liberal method of immigration reform are wrong. President Ronald Reagan, the champion of the modern day Republican party, granted amnesty to three million illegal immigrants. Remember, a pathway to citizenship isn’t easy. And if any laws are broken by those on the path, they will face severe consequences. But in the 21st century, with the sheer number of illegal immigrants in this country, it is the only practical option heading into the future.
Yes, illegal immigration is an issue. Enhanced border security might be necessary along with entry-exit tracking systems to ensure no more overstays on visas. Visa loopholes must be blocked. The pathway must be made extremely difficult to accomplish to discourage further illegal immigration. There are numerous steps in making our immigration system better. But throwing people out is wrong and impossible.
I’m actually a real conservative. I’m a real Republican. But I can recognize that my moderate to liberal counterparts are right about how to solve this immigration crisis. No one in this country today is 100 percent “American.” We all have ancestors that immigrated to this nation for a better future. Diversity is American. Intolerance is not. It is infeasible, let alone, morally wrong to “round up” more than 11 million Mexicans, Guatemalans, South Koreans, El Salvadorians, Indonesians, etc., and thrust them into Mexico in the name of making America “great” again. I want to live in an America that not only tolerates, but accepts those of all races, genders, religions, etc. To me, that is a great America.
