As several commenters here and in other blogs have noted, a problem situation only exists if you continue to feed it.
It is time to stop feeding it.
Nonviolent deportation… um, eviction… is possible. All it takes is a reversal of the federal policies that “invited” millions of people to illegally enter the US. The majority are not “refugees” in the classic sense: they are not escaping political or religious persecution by a government. Instead, most are escaping home-country poverty or gang/cartel-related violence. Neither are legitimate reasons for receiving all-inclusive permanent residence in the US.
We invited them here with implied offers of support. Now we should do the reverse: stop feeding the situation.
The first step in “inviting them to leave” is to end all programs that give food, housing, clothing, and non-emergency medical care to those who cannot prove legal residency in the US (a legitimate visa granted by the State Dept, not a temporary entry permit issued a the point of entry by the INS). A “court date” is not a legitimate visa. Without a legitimate visa, they have no right to be in the US. Make it widely known, both here and in their home countries, that the gravy train is over, and coming here without a legitimate visa is a useless exercise.
Allow these programs to gradually reduce benefits over a set period of time and then be terminated. 3 months seems fair. This will allow those are not legal residents to have the time to gather their things and arrange for transportation for themselves and their families to the same border location where they crossed into the US. The FedGov can easily provide bus transportation to those who decide to willingly “self-deport” and return home.
After they have crossed the border, remove their legal cases from the INS waiting list to reduce the backlog.
Unaccompanied children – and I mean children, not 16-year-olds who have committed crimes – should be held in safe custody until their parents have been found and notified, and then be escorted home with other unaccompanied children. If the parents can’t be found or refuse to take their children back home, the option is to find families willing to adopt those children. I’m ok with that as long as the families pass a standard adoption vetting process for both the children and the prospective adopting parents. Until then, and until the children reach the age of maturity, they can live in a traditional orphanage.
In month 4, begin evictions of those who still remain and escort them – non-violently but firmly – into buses for transportation to their point of entry into the US. Those who resist should be arrested and escorted to their border point of entry with others who also resisted eviction. They can then be escorted back across the border.
After they have crossed the border, remove their legal cases from the INS waiting list to reduce the backlog.
At the same time, begin arrests and internment of those who illegally crossed into the US multiple times after having been deported and/or who have committed any nonviolent crime while here (such as shoplifting). These people will be given a choice: be returned to their home country’s legal system or go to trial and serve time in the US. Those who wish to remain for trial should be remanded and held until their trial date – even if that is several years in the future.
Finally, we’re left with those who have committed violent crimes. They should be sent to prison to wait for trial.
Their “but you invited us here” is not a defense or reason to remain. Those who hold legitimate State Dept visas are here legally. In many cases, they were invited here too (students, technical experts, etc). But they waited for permission outside the US before being granted entry.
This isn’t about legal immigration. It has never been about legal immigration. Yes, this country is a land of immigrants. But even in the late 19th and early 20th century, immigrants came through a port of entry, showed identification, their names were recorded, and they were granted a visa.
It’s time to return to a comprehensive immigration system… which we already have! It’s only in the last 20 years that we have ignored the rules, and only for political purposes. If we go back to the rules that are already on the books we can regain control of the border, the immigration system, and re-institute the rule of law on the border.
The unfortunate part is that we will now need to enforce those rules with a steel wall. A simple chain-link fence won’t do it any more.
But every fence has a door. Doors allow people in… but also allow people out. Some folks seem to have forgotten that.
