This is a highly complex topic, and there is a supporting platform that goes with this one to help reinforce the position (See “American Globalization” platform). To discuss an immigration platform, we first must look at a very brief history up until today:
America is a population entirely made up of immigrants. From those migrating across the Aleutian chain 13,000 years ago, to the “Kelp highway” that shows humans arriving here even 2,000 years prior to that across the Pacific, to the omni-arrival routes we have today, we all migrated here. There is no indication that a true indigenous people originated in North America. With that in mind, it becomes difficult to label any group as “native”.
Immigration in the United States has been a hallmark of our ability to attract the world’s population who long for a chance at a better life. Immigration has been a remarkable success, considering population growth over the last 120 years in the USA: Roughly 74 million people in America in 1900 have exploded to over 330 million in 2020 (est.). Between 1900-1915 the US took in over 15 million (primarily) European immigrants, and had a very difficult time absorbing them. At one point, NYC was considered to be 75% first-generation immigrants. Over the next 100 years there was a wide variety of legislation passed that was designed to manage immigration from certain regions at certain times, dating back to (at least) 1924. The last twenty years is nothing new in that sense.
Today our borders still accept tens of thousands of immigrants and visitors each day, but the issues we face with immigration are much broader than in past generations. Our borders are a pipeline for those entering the country with intent that does not always match with our national laws, values, and security interests:
- Organized crime, including gangs, e.g., MS-13, drug cartels, and human traffickers
- Movement of illegal drugs; estimates today are that China supplies 90% of our opioids (especially street-purchased) and up to 94% of those drugs and others are moved illegally across our borders, especially in the south
- Entrance attempts by destabilizing groups, e.g., Radical Islamic Terrorists that have been caught in recent years, with weapons in many cases, traveling from the Middle East to Mexico then attempting to come across our vast southern border
- Movement of weapons, mostly small arms, through gangs into the southern US
The primary reason to control our land and sea borders today is that there are many individual, cartel, and state players that want to exploit our nation, our system, and our citizens to their own advantage while causing harm to the US. This is far more profound than in decades past.
Another main reason to control our borders is to ensure we can actually absorb those that want to enter and stay. Tens of billions of dollars each year flow into illegal immigrant services: While estimates vary, it is believed that illegal immigration support costs taxpayers roughly $116 billion annually, while they contribute up to roughly $63B in revenues and taxes paid. This does not take into consideration the long-term impact of supporting more housing, more food, more water, more government services, law enforcement, etc. Resources are finite; we need to be able to expand those in order to absorb growth.
The platform for discussion, therefore, is based on several avenues:
- Addressing one of the root causes of immigration – see American Globalization platform. This addresses the desire to leave an immigrant’s home country in the first place.
- Border control is critical. That includes physical security on the southern border – completing the new and (in some places) modified wall that serves as one of several defensive strategies. That also includes enhancing Coast Guard patrolling of the physical barrier (water), and enhancing CBP patrolling of our ports. Our border agents are highly outspoken in support of all of this. This should not be political. If anyone doubts the warzone that is our southern border, they should research this extensively. It is deadly and dangerous daily.
- DACA recipients need a path to citizenship that is fair and represents their time in the US. This is not a “one size fits all” – an infant arriving here knowing no other home is far different than someone arriving here who is 17 years old when they walk into the country. The DACA system needs to account for that.
- DACA needs to no longer be extended for new arrivals. Otherwise DACA turns into a mass beacon to rush into the US, and we can’t absorb the impact, especially along southern border cities.
- Seasonal and trade-skilled worker visas need expansion and improved access to our agriculture and other industries reliant on that labor (construction, food services, etc.).
- Student visas from certain countries need special restrictions, e.g., China, where Chinese espionage has been caught at many major college campuses nationwide. This may include types of programs those students may enroll in, up to complete denial of visa request.
- Permanent resident and naturalized citizen paths need to have more rapid timelines, however vetting of all who wish to relocate to the US permanently must be thorough and completed. This also requires increased funding for those efforts.
- Biometrics must be put in place for all entering the country; these are performed in many cases already (e.g., fingerprints and photos). This should be further enhanced as biometric technology improves, and those databases and verification technologies must be disseminated to the local law enforcement level.
- Immigration is not a doorway to bring your entire extended family. This has been heavily exploited in the past, where one person arrives and brings (in some cases) 15 or more relatives, with claims of hardship, etc. Immigration needs some level of common sense to examine the hardships, but to also limit primary immigration to spouses, dependent children under 21, and dependent (elderly) parents. While exceptions are possible, the criteria must be strict and consistently applied.
- Deportation should remain a tool used by CBP, and partnerships must be mandated to exist between state, local, and federal officials to this end.
- Sanctuary Cities should be made illegal at the federal level. This provides safe haven to those that would exploit the system. This is proven out daily, and consumes already slim local and state resources while letting the needs of existing citizen, legal immigrant and visitor population be ignored or postponed.
- Border security should remain a bilateral effort (both sides of the border) to restrict and contain illegal entry, while also working to streamline entry and access by those that come through proper channels.
The US should never strive to close borders, but instead control them. The immigration climate has unfortunately changed dramatically over the last 30 years, as is highly evident in Europe as well. This has led to significant political unrest, increased racism, secular violence, and other untoward outcomes. The simple truths are that we lack the ability to take in all that would come to us, but we do want to help where we can.