Every foreigner has a pathway to live here legally and become a citizen. Why not create a harder, longer, more expensive path for those that Are here and undocumented. At least then we can work it out together instead of having millions hiding in the shadows. I'd think you hardliners would like this idea... this way we have record of all that are here and they will have to earn it
If we did that, we would be sending a message to the 600,000,000 people living south of the border and all the other people living in poverty or danger in the world that if they can get here illegally, then they can become US citizens. It makes no sense to bolster border security and then send invitations to everyone to violate it.
Not necessarily. Crossing illegally and overstaying visas can still have penalties. AND the pathway for the undocumented can be less attractive and less incentivizing than the current legal path. Trying thinking out of the box
You're not thinking out of the box, you're just simply not thinking. Offering any path to citizenship for people who entered the US illegally is still an open invitation to 600,000,000 people living south of our border to violate our immigration laws: demonstrate your contempt for our laws by entering the US illegally and we will reward you by making you citizens.
I didn't say make them citizens. Are we at the point were you start distorting my argument because you don't want to consider or discuss other ideas? I said a pathway to legal status... and I said A harder more expensive more intensive path. Maybe they pay fines, are required todo community service, serve in military etc. my point is, there should be a path for existing undocumented. Penalties including deportation for new illegal crossers, and a more incentivizing path for people who wait in line an immigrate the legal way
lol Don't try to hide from your own words, a path to citizenship means making them citizens. Even with your fines and community service, what you are proposing is another amnesty, and this will only encourage more illegals to violate our immigration laws to get because the message you are sending is clear: violate our immigration laws and all you will have to do to become a US citizen is pay a fine and do some community service. Make it apply only to those who are already here? That's what you said the last time.
Undocumented is a weasel word. Every time you call them undocumented instead of what they are, illegal, you are expressing your own contempt for our immigration laws, which is expressing contempt for US sovereignty, the same contempt for our laws and sovereignty these illegals expressed when they came here. When you call them undocumented instead of illegal, you are saying it makes little difference if they showed respect for our laws by coming here legally or contempt for our laws by violating them.
Why should some one in Mexico choose to wait years to emigrate to the US legally if he can cross the border illegally now and after paying a fine become a US citizen? If we demonstrate we don't respect our own laws, as you clearly don't, by allowing illegals to become citizens, why would we expect anyone else to respect our laws? If we are to control our borders we must send a clear message that if you enter the US legally, we will make you welcome, but if you come illegally, we will do our best to make you unwelcome.