What is wrong with the US immigration system/law?

[alan1]

What is wrong with the US immigration system/law?
Most of my life I've been hearing that we (The USA) need immigration reform. I keep hearing we need to fix immigration. The politicians spout off about it and the media absolutely make it a forefront issue.
Barack Obama thinks he needs to fix it
George W. Bush thought he needed to fix it.
Bill Clinton thought he needed to fix it.
George H. W. Bush thought he needed to fix it.
Ronald Reagan tried to fix it with amnesty for illegal aliens.
The media has been omnipresent declaring immigration a problem.

Last year numerous people I work with acquired US citizenship. They come from varied countries... India, England, Jamaica, Ukraine, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, Germany, France, Namibia, Australia, Russia, Mexico, China and others.
All these people from all these different countries managed to legally immigrate to the US and then managed to legally acquire citizenship.

So, what the heck is broken with our immigration policy? The media and the politicians keep saying it is broken, that we need immigration reform, but what exactly is broken? The legal immigration that I see seems to be working pretty well, aside from it being a slow process.

 

[gallantwarrior]

What is wrong with the US immigration system/law?
Most of my life I've been hearing that we (The USA) need immigration reform. I keep hearing we need to fix immigration. The politicians spout off about it and the media absolutely make it a forefront issue.
Barack Obama thinks he needs to fix it
George W. Bush thought he needed to fix it.
Bill Clinton thought he needed to fix it.
George H. W. Bush thought he needed to fix it.
Ronald Reagan tried to fix it with amnesty for illegal aliens.
The media has been omnipresent declaring immigration a problem.

Last year numerous people I work with acquired US citizenship. They come from varied countries... India, England, Jamaica, Ukraine, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, Germany, France, Namibia, Australia, Russia, Mexico, China and others.
All these people from all these different countries managed to legally immigrate to the US and then managed to legally acquire citizenship.

So, what the heck is broken with our immigration policy? The media and the politicians keep saying it is broken, that we need immigration reform, but what exactly is broken? The legal immigration that I see seems to be working pretty well, aside from it being a slow process.

I understand what you are saying. I, too, work with people from many other countries. They are all here legally and many are working towards earning their citizenship. Those who have acquired citizenship are quite proud of that achievement.
But this drive to "fix" immigration is similar to "fixing" an animal. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the animal, but we feel the need to cut the balls off of it. Immigration reform is kind of like that, cutting the balls off the legal system that has effectively facilitated immigration for generations.

 

[Agit8r]

I dunno, but the business community sure doesn't like them:

Chamber of Commerce plans big push on immigration | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

 

[alan1]

I dunno, but the business community sure doesn't like them:

Chamber of Commerce plans big push on immigration | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

One thing I found interesting in that article was that it mentions letting the 12 million current illegal immigrants apply for citizenship. It says nothing about what they think is wrong with the current immigration laws. If 12 million illegal immigrants are currently in the US, that doesn't the current laws are broken, it more hints to me that some of the law isn't being enforced.

 

[Toro]

I obtained US citizenship 16 months ago.

I will tell you that the US immigration system is absolutely Byzantine. I have been here on a TN visa, an H1-B visa, a green card, and now naturalization. It was fucking long and expensive. It is a deterrent for people coming here.

 

[Agit8r]

I dunno, but the business community sure doesn't like them:

Chamber of Commerce plans big push on immigration | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

One thing I found interesting in that article was that it mentions letting the 12 million current illegal immigrants apply for citizenship. It says nothing about what they think is wrong with the current immigration laws. If 12 million illegal immigrants are currently in the US, that doesn't the current laws are broken, it more hints to me that some of the law isn't being enforced.

Here it is straight from the horse's mouth:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToGQXhyWHnY]The Conservative case for Immigration Reform - YouTube[/ame]

10 Immigration Myths Dispelled | Friends of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

 

[Desperado]

If they would enforce the current laws than there is not much wrong with it. The problem is the government is not enforcing the laws.
Most glaring problems are:
Catch and Release
Wet Foot - Dry Foot
and
Anchor Babies
Solve these and we would be in good shape.

 

[MaryL]

Here's a little secret: Immigration laws are not, nor were they ever the problem. Actually, it’s all those people that violate immigration law that won't observe current laws in huge numbers that are the problem. The problem is employers and the underground economy that has sprouted from this issue, suckling off of those pretend victims. All those poor-poor souls that pretend not to know the law, ignore them, sneak in (and drag their children into this sad mess too). Call me cynical, but it's so-self serving and hypocritical or ignorant for people to put the blame solely on immigration law. I too, have known people that have immigrated legally, so YES, there is a serious disconnect going on here. Big time.

 

[alan1]

I obtained US citizenship 16 months ago.

I will tell you that the US immigration system is absolutely Byzantine. I have been here on a TN visa, an H1-B visa, a green card, and now naturalization. It was fucking long and expensive. It is a deterrent for people coming here.

Well, we do want to make sure it is the best and brightest that get citizenship.

 

[alan1]

I dunno, but the business community sure doesn't like them:

Chamber of Commerce plans big push on immigration | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

One thing I found interesting in that article was that it mentions letting the 12 million current illegal immigrants apply for citizenship. It says nothing about what they think is wrong with the current immigration laws. If 12 million illegal immigrants are currently in the US, that doesn't the current laws are broken, it more hints to me that some of the law isn't being enforced.

Here it is straight from the horse's mouth:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToGQXhyWHnY]The Conservative case for Immigration Reform - YouTube[/ame]

10 Immigration Myths Dispelled | Friends of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

OK, that video was fine and dandy, but not one of them said what was wrong/broken/not working with current immigration laws.
It's the same old crap I keep hearing -- We need immigration reform-- no explanation of what anybody thinks is wrong with current laws. It was a bunch of babbling that delivered nothing but wasted air.

 

[Jughead]

I obtained US citizenship 16 months ago.

I will tell you that the US immigration system is absolutely Byzantine. I have been here on a TN visa, an H1-B visa, a green card, and now naturalization. It was fucking long and expensive. It is a deterrent for people coming here.

You just provided an example as to why we should move slowly in regards to any immigration reform. You worked hard in order to legally immigrate, and were rewarded with citizenship. Would it be fair to you if we allow millions of folks who broke the law a free pass, and let them sneak ahead everyone else who have been waiting for years.

Our immigration laws are fine the way they are, the problem is trying to figure out a way to enforce the laws, at the same time being compassionate and figure out what to do with the millions that are here illegally.

That's why no one is moving forward with any reform, there really is no solution.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I obtained US citizenship 16 months ago.

I will tell you that the US immigration system is absolutely Byzantine. I have been here on a TN visa, an H1-B visa, a green card, and now naturalization. It was fucking long and expensive. It is a deterrent for people coming here.

Apparently not deterrent enough. Otherwise, why are we faced with allowing 12+ million illegal invaders to obtain legal status that others have worked hard and long to obtain?

 

[gallantwarrior]

I obtained US citizenship 16 months ago.

I will tell you that the US immigration system is absolutely Byzantine. I have been here on a TN visa, an H1-B visa, a green card, and now naturalization. It was fucking long and expensive. It is a deterrent for people coming here.

Well, we do want to make sure it is the best and brightest that get citizenship.

Certainly. We have more than enough born citizens who are a drag on the system. I don't know too many born here who could pass that naturalization test.

 

[Sunshine]

What is wrong with the US immigration system/law?
Most of my life I've been hearing that we (The USA) need immigration reform. I keep hearing we need to fix immigration. The politicians spout off about it and the media absolutely make it a forefront issue.
Barack Obama thinks he needs to fix it
George W. Bush thought he needed to fix it.
Bill Clinton thought he needed to fix it.
George H. W. Bush thought he needed to fix it.
Ronald Reagan tried to fix it with amnesty for illegal aliens.
The media has been omnipresent declaring immigration a problem.

Last year numerous people I work with acquired US citizenship. They come from varied countries... India, England, Jamaica, Ukraine, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, Germany, France, Namibia, Australia, Russia, Mexico, China and others.
All these people from all these different countries managed to legally immigrate to the US and then managed to legally acquire citizenship.

So, what the heck is broken with our immigration policy? The media and the politicians keep saying it is broken, that we need immigration reform, but what exactly is broken? The legal immigration that I see seems to be working pretty well, aside from it being a slow process.

[MENTION=16165]alan1[/MENTION]

If you go to the Secretary of State website, take a little time, and digest the system by which visas are granted you will see the problem. You have to understand the system but once you do, you can see how long it takes people from each country to become eligible for a visa. Right now, a person in Mexico will wait 10 or more years, sometimes even 15 years, to get a work visa while the person from India will not wait very long at all. There is a system of quotas for each country which do not match the numbers of jobs the immigrants can get once they are here. That is part of the problem.

But every undocumented alien who is here didn't jump the river. Many of them came here on legal work visas and just did not return home. Should they return home with the expired visa, it would trigger a 10 year bar of them returning to the US. So they are not motivated to comply. I have a cousin who bought a house from an Indian couple who got caught up in that 10 year bar thingy. They got a mega beautiful house for a little of nothing because the people had to unload it.

Immigration law is not at all straight forward. But the bottom line is if you come here on a visa and stay after it expires you have committed no crime. If you jump the river, that is illegal entry which is a misdemeanor.

See if you can get a handle on the Secretary of State website, quota, wait times, etc. and that will help you immensely.

 

[Jroc]

Seal the borders then immigration reform. Make it easier for the well educated to come here.

 

[Sunshine]

Seal the borders then immigration reform. Make it easier for the well educated to come here.

The worker who come her from Mexico are very good workers and very good at their trades.

 

[Jroc]

Seal the borders then immigration reform. Make it easier for the well educated to come here.

The worker who come her from Mexico are very good workers and very good at their trades.

Yeah so? Come here legally. Seal the borders

 

[Sunshine]

Seal the borders then immigration reform. Make it easier for the well educated to come here.

The worker who come her from Mexico are very good workers and very good at their trades.

Yeah so? Come here legally. Seal the borders

Read my first post in this thread.

 

[Sunshine]

I obtained US citizenship 16 months ago.

I will tell you that the US immigration system is absolutely Byzantine. I have been here on a TN visa, an H1-B visa, a green card, and now naturalization. It was fucking long and expensive. It is a deterrent for people coming here.

You just provided an example as to why we should move slowly in regards to any immigration reform. You worked hard in order to legally immigrate, and were rewarded with citizenship. Would it be fair to you if we allow millions of folks who broke the law a free pass, and let them sneak ahead everyone else who have been waiting for years.

Our immigration laws are fine the way they are, the problem is trying to figure out a way to enforce the laws, at the same time being compassionate and figure out what to do with the millions that are here illegally.

That's why no one is moving forward with any reform, there really is no solution.

That's right. The problem is not at the border. The problem is in the US quota system.

 

[Jroc]

I obtained US citizenship 16 months ago.

I will tell you that the US immigration system is absolutely Byzantine. I have been here on a TN visa, an H1-B visa, a green card, and now naturalization. It was fucking long and expensive. It is a deterrent for people coming here.

You just provided an example as to why we should move slowly in regards to any immigration reform. You worked hard in order to legally immigrate, and were rewarded with citizenship. Would it be fair to you if we allow millions of folks who broke the law a free pass, and let them sneak ahead everyone else who have been waiting for years.

Our immigration laws are fine the way they are, the problem is trying to figure out a way to enforce the laws, at the same time being compassionate and figure out what to do with the millions that are here illegally.

That's why no one is moving forward with any reform, there really is no solution.

That's right. The problem is not at the border. The problem is in the US quota system.

Bull...Seal the board, then reform the immigration system