Immigration - amnesty or deportation?

[spacemonkey]

Any guesses on a magic number, million, billion, or all who can get here, no matter how many?

[wormwood]

I see no reason to offer benefit to someone who came here illegally. I chose number 2, but I don't think a deportation will be necessary. They found their own way here, they can find their own way back. Crack down on anyone who hires an illegal immigrant. Huge fines for every illegal employed, will prevent them from finding employment, and they can deport themselves. If they are productive and can find a job, then they can get a work visa and come here legally. The whole open boarders situation we have now is meant to drive down wages, and leads to abuse of public services designed to help citizens of this country. We need more policies that look out for the best interest of US citizens first and foremost. With unemployment high and a huge deficit, I don't think taking in swarms of poor from other countries really helps us at the moment.

[Gnostic]

[The Comrade]

who keeps voting crack down

[Gnostic]

I don't know. Sux doesn't it

[wormwood]

[Zeugma]

[Dennis]

I chose option 3.

To elaborate a little; create a guest worker program, enact the Dream act, reform legal immigration and take the ridiculous out of it, and enhance border security with more technology.

[Sandman]

I see almost zero downsides in full amnesty. A whole heap of upsides. Convicted murderers and rapists and the like should remain on a database and if they're discovered, deport them. What it comes down to for me is that we are ostensibly a free market nation punishing people for following the free market and going where the jobs are. They are criminals about as much as jaywalkers. If it suddenly became against the law for people in Tennessee to cross the border to Kentucky to look for jobs, it would be no less ridiculous. The people in question just happen to have brown skin. Not pulling the race card, but I see no other reason why people have such a huge problem with people simply migrating where the work is. It shouldn't be seen as such a subversive act.

[wormwood]