I don't know of very many who advocate completely open immigration, though it makes infinitely more sense than our current regime.
We spend billions right now to "secure our borders." Our borders certainly are not secure and illegal immigrants continue to pour across in the millions each year. So, since they are getting in virtually at will anyways right now, it would make more sense to simply have an open border and save the billions of dollars.
Any immigration solution that fails to address securing the borders or making them completely open is a farce. You inevitably wind up with the exact same situation we have today- spending lots of money and getting nothing in return.
A better solution, I think, is to seal the borders completely. Sealing the borders by itself, however, is a disaster waiting to happen. You have to have a pressure valve on the system. We need to dramatically increase the number of immigrats we allow into the country through legal channels. Our economy is largely based on immigrant labor. Let millions come in, but allow them in legally. Then they are treated as members of our society instead of second-class citizens. Costs will go up as they are paid minimum wage, but it is a price we have to pay sooner or later.
Right now, we have millions who could become quite disenchanted with the nation as they are excluded from financial gain. The same thing occurred in Rome in ancient days, and it occurred in France recently with the riots. If we close the border, we can make them all legal and go from there. If it is reasonably easy to enter through legal channels, there is no reason to enter through illegal channels.
|