Immigration - amnesty or deportation?

[Professor]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/29/politics/ ... ?hpt=us_c1

There are obviously many issues with immigration. Border security is something that pretty much everyone agrees needs to be beefed up - the only debate is the degree. Also, most people agree that we should not allow employers to hire people who are here illegally.

My question is one of amnesty. As I see it, we have 3 options:

1) Continue the status quo, which creates an amnesty of sorts, but also a subculture of illegals
2) Crackdown on illegals, deporting hundreds of thousands or up to a million illegals back to their country of origination (Mexico)
3) Create a pathway to amnesty, including background checks, verification of employment and a place to live.

I have attempted to create the most logical and realistic scenarios. Nothing about "amnesty for all illegals". Also, each scenario assumes that the "other stuff" (increased border security, for instance) is included.

Which one do you chose and why?

[Professor]

I think we should create a path to amnesty. I believe it is unrealistic to expect to be able to round up a million people (who we can't hardly find now) and move them across a border. We tried that once, and actually succeeded. We called it the Trail of Tears, and it is a stain upon America.

We can't continue the status quo. Or, we can, as we've been doing it for a while. But, it seems that no one wants to.

[spacemonkey]

Besides being 50 years to late, I see it as a red tape clusterphuck. But who really knows?

[J.K. Gregg]

I'm an open borders person, but I also realize that we have a huge, practically unsustainable welfare state that would bring this country to its knees if we opened the borders. So at this point, I'm in favor of providing amnisty for those already here, living the American dream.

[eynon81]

amnesty for all those who have no felonies. deport those with felonies. make path to legal residency way easy. Millions of China, India and South America's best and brightest are clamoring to become Americans. It's beyond retarded that we aren't welcoming them (and their assets) with open arms.

and open the freaking borders with Mexico and Canada...the closed borders just support a black-market anyways.

[eynon81]

[Precocity]

Professor, I would go along with #3 but I would need for you to clarify what you mean by "a place to live".

[calicon]

[spacemonkey]

Its funny how some think America is an endless bottomless pit of opportunity for all who can get here.

[OGPhilly]

The politics of this issue aggravate me so much I rarely even talk about it. It's a good discussion to have, but the second I hear some shrill idiot proclaim "IF YOU CAME HERE ILLEGALLY YOU DON'T GET TO STAY! END OF STORY!" I get far too annoyed with how stupid and knee-jerk much of our population is.

Anyway, I think, simply put, we shouldn't settle for a solution that doesn't give the people already here a reasonable path to citizenship, nor for one that doesn't address the problem going forward and prevent this massive illegal population from ever existing again.