Let’s see if we can agree on some basic principles for helping to reduce the number of undocumented individuals who live in the United States. We certainly can agree that Congress has not done a good job of passing responsible legislation. So what might have worked if there were five million or so undocumented individuals in the country might not be effective if there are three times that many.
The first thing we need to do is to see if we can get a better idea of who these individuals are. In Pennsylvania, we have no clue. We are aware of the anger of Americans at individuals who illegally cross the Mexican border. However, it is more likely that the vast number of undocumented Pennsylvanians either came across the Canadian border or flew into the United States from their country of origin rather than crossing the Mexican border illegally.
Indeed, we do not even know how many of the undocumented individuals in Pennsylvania originally came to the United States with legal documents such as a student visa and then just never went home when their visa expired. When we get the facts, what can we agree on?
How many undocumented workers served honorably in the United States armed services? Can we agree that these individuals should be given citizenship?
What about Newt Gingrich’s pleas for “humanity” in immigration policy? This makes sense. As Newt argues, if a family has lived in the United States for more than twenty-five years and one of their family members is a citizen, deporting the non-citizens would certainly not be family-friendly. How about the concepts in the DREAM Act, which is supported by both Republicans and Democrats, but has not been passed by Congress? This would make a path to citizenship for undocumented individuals who came to the United States as children and who have now graduated from college in the United States.
What about the recommendations of George Bush, a strong supporter of reforming immigration policy? He wanted to make a path to citizenship for undocumented individuals whose employers certified them as needed to support the local economy. The last humane review of immigration policy was coordinated by President Ronald Reagan. If you have recommendations for steps toward citizenship for specific groups of the undocumented population, please add your comments to my blog.
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