Poll: Will Trump build the Wall?

I think it was stated more eloquently in another thread by Aragon. I align fairly close to his thoughts, as well as @thunderbolt23. I think first step would be to enforce current laws. @Aragon’s quote “As tbolt said, harder penalties on companies who encourage hiring illegals is a good step as is cracking down on the actual illegal immigration taking place”. Most likely something like e-verify.

From there, handling current illegals with some sort of pathway to citizenship needs to be discussed.

I think both of those things would do a lot more than a symbolic wall. But they aren’t something you can chant about at a rally.

A pathway to citizenship? Wouldn’t that encourage more to come over so they can become citizens?

Also a problem with E-verify is that it doesn’t stop those who have no contract and are paid cash.

So finding a company hiring Illegals would be hard if they pay in cash.

1 Like

I was thinking more along the lines that if somebody has already been here for 10+ years, have kids that are citizens, has a job, a house… etc etc. there is a pathway.

If people want to come over to be citizens they have to go through the process that everybody else does.

You could say that about anybody avoiding taxes. If the company is audited and it is discovered, there should be penalties that discourage such practices.

So they stay illegally all this time until they become citizens?

So they can stay indefinitely?

Who is “they”?

Illegals I mean

Ya, I know, but are we talking about an illegal immigrant who just came over or one who has been in the country for 10+ years, has a job, family that are citizens, house…etc.

Time in a country doesn’t make someone less Illegal. Otherwise they could just avoid authorities for a set time then be illegal.

Ok, that’s fine to say… but how do you deal with that reality? How do you go about deporting people? How will that affect the industries they work in?

I think you need to recognize the fact that when you change the system regarding illegal immigration, you have to treat everybody who was illegal before that point differently than new illegals.

Not if you start enforcing the law and increasing penalties (decrease both demand and supply).

How do you do this, How do you enforce penalties without keeping them in the country?

If you fine companies into the ground for breaking the law, they’ll pay more attention to who they hire, decreasing the number of employed illegals. When less jobs are available for illegals, America is less appealing to sneak into.

Personally I support deportations, but that’s the basic logic.

You mean for illegal immigrants going forward after the “reset”? You don’t. You deport them, as necessary, and punish businesses that hired them.

Not supporting deportations is illogical, how can you let someone illegally in and not remove them at all so they can just stay.[quote=“pfury, post:34, topic:228113”]
fine companies into the ground for breaking the law, they’ll pay more attention to who they hire, decreasing the number of employed illegals.
[/quote]

I get this, however people will still choose a off the records cheaper approach some of the time. [quote=“thunderbolt23, post:35, topic:228113”]
You deport them, as necessary, and punish businesses that hired them.
[/quote]

That’s a better approach.

Because it would be unfair and unjust given the passage of time, and that we’ve looked the other way this long and allowed them to settle into their lives.

And if you find out, you fine them into the ground. Make an example out of enough businesses and people won’t risk their life’s work for cheaper labor as often.

The logic is that it’s a lesser of 2 evils to let them stay, as some industries will see insane blowback from the loss of illegals. Personally I think deportation is the lesser of the 2 evils, but it’s very possible that if I had real numbers of the before and after of our economy I’d think differently.

edit: what TB said applies as well. It’s hard to justify saying “we shit the bed for decades, but gtfo” when you’re getting rid of decades of history and family/community ties.