Immigration reform

Like almost everybody else, I have mixed feelings about this immigration reform bill just passed in the Senate.


First, and most important, it is an important hot-bottom issue that finally someone plans to do something about it.

The currently immigration system is a mess.

Millions of who are trying to immigrate to the US are waiting a long time to get in, while those who can't sneak in and live as secondary citizens. They pay taxes (some of them, at least) but have no benefit, no social security, and no health care. So, the emergency rooms are jammed with people who can't afford a family doctor and hospitals (like the one I used to work for) charge them (in paper) five to ten times what they would do to HMOs. In the end, those charges become "charitable donations" and our tax payers foot the bill.

This is what everybody agrees.

Now is the word "mixed" comes in.

Granting amnesty to those already in certainly seems a encouragement to those who haven't. However, the root of the problem is the imbalance of living standard on the two sides of the boarder. Unless we are willing to build a "Mexican Wall" and guard it like what was in Berlin, there will be people taking high risks to cross it. Look at what the Germans done for the past 15 years.

For those who have been waiting in line for years to get in legally, it is kind of "unfair" for those who enter illegally get amnesty. Well, don't they remember that's may be part of the reason may America great. We are humane, and forgiven.

As a security issue, yes, there are high risks to have people going in and out our boarder undocumented. However, building a wall will stop that? I highly doubt it. On another note, do we really need to have all the undocumented immigrants somehow traceable? There are many ways to keep our nation secure, become a police nation is certainly not one of the better ways.

What we can do now, and what's the current bill does address, is to first implement a better system in the IRS (not the INS). More enforcement is needed to have businesses (big and small) be accounted for in hiring undocumented immigrants without paying their fair share of social security and other benefits.

The INS (and the rest of agencies mostly in the Department of Homeland Security) should also put their acts together. The average 5 to 10 years wait is not acceptable. Doing it slow does not stop criminals coming in, it only discourages people from going through the legal way.