The Intractable Illegal Alien Problem

The fact is, there are about twelve million illegal aliens in this country now. The fact is, they're not going anywhere, --they're not going home. What to do about them is the question. And the solution is not easy.

Some have proposed just rounding them all up and sending them back. Simple. Or is it? The logistical nightmares alone would boggle the mind. How would you house them pending deportation hearings? How would you prove they are here illegally? How would you keep them from just jumping the border again?

The time has come for us to admit that the vast majority of those who are here, are going to stay. Unless we can prove that they have committed a felony crime, or that they are engaging in terrorist activities, a way must be found for them to be absorbed. There really is no way around it. Those who are already here, and well established to any degree, will have to stay.

What we do about this problem in the future is far more important. We thought we solved the problem when president Reagan was in office, but we really didn't. It's now time for us to do it again. It is the most important national issue the country faces at the moment. A solution must be found.

In my view, the solution is comprised of two distinct parts: First, we must recognize that the we live in an age where we no longer can tolerate open borders. That's what we now have. Both the Canadian and the Mexican borders are wide open for anybody, including terrorists, who want to cross. That must be changed. Second, we must grow up enough to institute an effective national ID. In this world, where millions out there wish us ill, we can no longer be naive enough to hold on to the idea that some vague "right to personal liberty" trumps the need for authorities to be able to ascertain who we are should the need arise. And that goes for anybody who wants to enter this country. If they can't produce the proper ID, they can't come in. If they are subsequently found in this country, and they don't have the proper ID, they go to jail. If you hire somebody who doesn't have the proper ID, you go to jail.

Of course the implementation of these measures is complicated, --but not impossible. The problems are mostly in the mind of the elected official we currently have in Washington. Once they realize that we will replace them unless they solve this ongoing problem, it will be solved. Our nation's survival could well depend on it.