We have a crisis at Southern Border. Actually, we have an immigration crisis coupled with a border crisis, a labor crisis, and a labor/related tax crisis. Plus, some more related crisis I can’t identify.Let me suggest a path toward a solution, Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Congress talked about reform for years and tried twice, in 1940 (the “Jewish” problem) and 1950 (the Asian influx). I propose an outline for reform that would be enacted as a single bill designed to implement all parts together:
- Secure the border(s) both South and arrival by air and ship with a combination of walls, electronic surveillance, and human resources. Anyone approaching the border on land would be directed to a port of entry or turned back. Anyone entering legally would be issued a biometric visa with fingerprints checked and registered with the FBI fingerprint system. 100%: Disneyworld does it, sure they can teach the U.S. how to do the same. Initial cost about $50 billion (negotiate).
- Refugees and people fleeing violence in their home countries would be encamped out of the U.S. and funding would be provided to the supporting country until the refugee could have a hearing and placed in a queue against a quota. This is what EU does (in most countries) and would replace the present policy that is similar to the old “wet foot/dry foot”. Cost about $20 billion/year
- In addition to work visas (below), a quota would be established for yearly entrance of refugees and people escaping natural disasters. Within the overall quota, the administration could allocate admission as they determine appropriate.
- Work visas would be issued on request in response to job positing made my employers seeking guest labor such as farm laborer, resort labor (think Trump), and highly skilled labor. A company could, for example, advertise on a college campus for engineers graduating from an accredited program to work under a guest labor program. These people would be issued a biometric work visa similar to a social card and would pay taxes, social security, and Medicare exactly as an American Citizen may do. The employer would pay there share exactly as they do for legal labor.Should an employer be found to have illegal workers; the workers would be offered immediate guest labor visas and the employer would be fined an amount not to exceed the exceed twice the estimated tax and salary avoidance (below the minimum wage) plus estimated court costs. The employer would be assisted in completing worker job postings (as above) to be filled by his current, now legal, work staff.
- The employer would be bound by the legal minimum wage and all state and federal labor safety standards.
- Refugees would have priority on bidding for any outstanding worker requisitions and any laborer accepting guest worker status could enter the U.S. with a guest labor visa and two dependents.
- After two documented years as a guest worker (that is 24 months of paying federal, social security, and Medicare tax, the guest worker and any legal dependents (see “e”) would be eligible for a biometric permanent resident card and all Government benefits. If a guest laborer loses his employment for any reason during her/his two-year guest worker period, the employer is responsible for the costs of returning the guest worker to the port of entry unless the guest worker is able to secure another guest labor position within 30 days. Should a guest worker leave the U.S., her/his dependents must also leave.
- The exact same restrictions are applied to anyone arriving by plane or boat. That is, if their visa expires, they agree upon entry to leave the U.S. at their cost within 30 days.
- A guest laborer who has stayed in the U.S. for 24 months (these not be consecutive), is eligible for a landed immigrant permission. After five (5) years as a felony free landed immigrant, the person is eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. The application process and an appropriate examination to determine the immigrants understand of the U.S. laws and traditions is conducted entirely in English. Funds ($1.5 B/Year) shall be provided on a competitive grant basis to non-profit institutions whiling to teach English and Civics.
- A biometric identification system capable of recording fingerprints and verifying the crime-free background with the FBI’s system shall be built. Biometric readers capable of verifying individual’s employment record (social security number) shall be developed and distributed to police, employment agencies, and employers (optional for employers under 10 people) so every employer can 100% verify that every employee is a legal guest worker, landed immigrant, or citizen and is eligible to work in the U.S. This is essentially the E-verify system proposed but not really completed.