Well said in plain English, gresch.

May I humbly suggest an integrated approach:

1. Simplify the employment and tax codes for small businesses in America. Our system is so f--ked up as far as making it easy for American small businesses to grow. We need border kiosks set up where by you buy a work permit, get fingerprinted pay for a background check, buy a workers comp insurance card, and go to work. Want to get paid, gotta have your cards in order.
2. Dis-incentivise American businesses to hire illegals.
3. Cut off all free medical care to illegals while ramping up a simplified and portable employee paid and controlled workers comp insurance program (think pre-paid cell phone service)
4. Freeze admission to schools for new illegal students while making sure the kids already in school are not tossed out. Make sure they pay some form of tuition for this.
5. Phase out the bi-lingual crap over a 3 year period. It's not that I don't like other languages, but English is the great assimilator; people who talk and sound alike will grow together, not apart.
6. Have a two strikes law as far as illegal border crossers. Caught once, you get finger printed, retnal scannned, dressed in a white jumpsuit and good bye. Caught twice, six months hard labor in a labor camp. After a certain amount of time, American scofflaw companies should also incur severe penalties as well. Coyotes, drug smugglers and gang members all get a day in a military court (open to the press) and then a bullet to the head.
7. Place a 25% tax and a cap on all Western Union out-country remittances. We need to monitor these monies. You want to come here, work hard, and build a life legally? Great, but let's encourage the money and the hearts and minds to stay in America.

Any other ideas?

__________________

It is nice for everyone to voice their opinion, but lest keep this from getting personal.
Looks like it is getting heated.

Fairness in immigration policy should be observed in global level, not by geographical proximity. (I really hope I an not putting myself into hot water for commenting on this sensitive topic. Forgive me in advance, if I offend anyone.) I worked with many American top school graduates who happened to be Indians from India, Chinese, Koreans, etc.. Lot of them worked long hours and below median wages (compare to American counterparts) for years to be resident aliens. Lot of them successfully settled, some had to go back home because of Visa quota running out early, dot bomb, and so on. None I know decided to stay after visa expired. They knew better... I am not saying a brilliant Chinese astro physicist shoud have a priority in this country than a guy who mows my lawn.
Yes I want my landscaping doesn't cost more than 70G I paid, and I want my favorite 30 dollar all you can eat sushi restraunt stay open. Yes, California and Texas used to be Mexico while back, but I am not sure if it is relevant now. For anything that is scarce, pleople have to wait in line like everyone else. It is just my opinion and my parents are immigrants.

__________________
BMW The Ultimate Oil-Leaking Machines!

Just in case, I don't want to offend anyone but America is a continent, and it's made up of South America, Central America and North America, we are all in America...not just North American's. Just as any person who is born in The Continent of Europe is European. We have to deal with the fact that we are all here to together and it will be very tough to get everyone who we North American's think should be out, lets play to our strengths and not our differences, the Govt should have undocumented people be documented ASAP and allow them to pay taxes.

__________________

Dude, There are seven continents: NORTH America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Austrailia, Antartica

__________________
2005 X5 3.0D Fully Fing Loaded Mafia Black
2004 Audi A6 3.0 TDI
2005 Volvo V50

Not sure that what your point is here. As a Canadian, I am also a North American, but in the context of this thread, it is irrelevant; the topic at hand is the US, not residents of a continent. Our Canadian issues around immigration have little in common with the issues raised here.

Just slightly OT, but in the UK, people often referred to me and my family as American. No offense taken at all, but I am not American. I am North American. The best response, delivered with a smile, was usually "that's OK, all you Europeans sound the same to me as well" It was particularly effective if the person making the first comment was Scots.....

Jeff

__________________
2007 X3 3.0si, 6 MT, Premium, White

Retired:
2008 535i, 6 MT, M Sport, Premium, Space Grey
2003 X5 3.0 Steptronic, Premium, Titanium Silver
2002 325xi 5 MT, Steel Grey
2004 Z4 3.0 Premium, Sport, SMG, Maldives Blue

The title of that article should have been "A day without an illegal immigrant"

Now we have got at least one of the points i was trying to get across.

The second point might be that public sentiment may be swayed by this huge event to the extent that the real facts are covered up. No matter what our position may be the law is still the law and this event is an attempt to say that breaking the law is ok.

#1 No you may not circumvent the proper way to do things.
#2 No you may not jump the line in front of others who have worked thru the process.
#3 No you may not lie and falseify documents to get a job.
#4 No you may not come here for the specific purpose of having your children while you pay no taxes.
#4 No you may not be a dishonest human being and expect me to support your effort at demonstrating for what you believe is your right to do so

This list could be a lot longer but the bottom line is..........

I hope that if anyone is concerned about what this demonstration could accomplish they should pass this information along as a reminder regarding whats in store.

__________________
"What you hear in a great jazz band is the sound of democracy. “The jazz band works best when participation is shaped by intelligent communication.”
Harmony happens whenever different parts get to form a whole by means of congruity, concord, symetry, consistency, conformity, correspondence, agreement, accord, unity, consonance…….

FYI: A person can come here legally, look for a job legally, find one and apply, while s/he is still legally here, for legal persmission to stay here and work. However, those applications currently take anywhere from 90 - 180 days to process. S/he is allowed to stay here "legally" while it is being processed. However, if the application is denied, that person becomes an "illegal alien" the instant the application is denied. Even worse, that persons "illegal" status is RETROACTIVE to the date his/her original authorized stay expired. In other words, current immigration law treats him/her as if s/he had NEVER filed an application and had just decided to stay here illegally.

This is just one example of the way current U.S. immigration law "manufactures" illegal aliens. People who think the line between "legal" and "illegal" is bright and clear and that all "illegal" aliens are bad/immoral/criminals, etc. are simply ignorant of how screwed up our immigration laws are right now.

I'm not in favor of amnesty fwiw, but I am in favor of some sort of rational immigration policy and "kick out all the illegals" ain't it.

__________________
Frank

Current Ride:
'04 4.4i Carbon Black Met./Dove Grey
NAV, Sprt Pkg, Star Spoke 87's

Recently Sold (and still crying about it):
'95 Dinan M3 Avus Blue/Dove Grey
LTW Wheels and adjustable front splitter

I think most people fail to realize that most illegal immigrants do not get into the US by sneaking across the border. They come in legally, but then overstay. Most come as tourists who are visiting, and there is really no effective way to deal with this.

Should a Mexican family not be allowed to go on vacation to the United States the same way Americans visit Mexico on vacation? What about people from other countries? Are we going to shut down the entire tourism industry in the US to foreignors? Only to people from certain countries?