We are all so pissed about the "illegal immigration" instead of "protesting and wanting to shoot" why don't we fix the problem.  Why not use the money that we are currently spending on illegals here usefully.  Like select a coaliation of "amazing engineers, politicians, civil rights activists" and have them implement a program in Mexico.  I would suggest a year or longer commitment to this plan.  \nPolitics aside....you send a force like that and people will stop trying to run and say "lets see what they can do"?  \nWhat do you think?
132600
It´s a lovely idea, but doesn´t sound like anything the current US administration would go for.  After all, while hyping the immigration issue in the media and, frankly, whipping up racism, they are also quite happy to turn a blind eye to US businesses using cheap illegal labour. It´s happening in all western countries at the moment.  The media, backed by the government, incites its citizens to be worried about illegal immigration, while the economy actually benefits from the black market economy working with it. I´m in Mexico now on holiday, but staying with family.  It´s a hard place, with a bad atmosphere.  It definitely needs some help, but everyone here says the corruption is so far reaching, there is no hope.  Your idea is nice but too socialist for anyone in today´s political arena and, like Iraq, would require serious investment, commitment and integrity..... never forget it´s all about the money.
355777
Ha ha. Mexico would be stupid to go to war with us. They would not do it. The only people that would be hurt by the mine field idea, would be people who should not have been there in the first place. I like the idea, but know it will never be implemented.\n\njo- Why don't you open your house to everyone?\n\nchuckc2003- I don't know where you live, but this has been a big deal for a long time where I live. I am glad something is finally getting done.\n\nBuck Fush!- Uhh, no one is arguing to stop immigration moron. It is about illegal aliens. Sooooo STFU!
142879
I actually agree with you, though I wouldn't put it in your terms.  I do think the United States should SERIOUSLY open talks with Mexico about annexing it...that is...making it a territory of the United States like Puerto Rico and Guam,  though not making it a "state" per se.\n\nWhen over 50% of the population of an entire COUNTRY does not want to live there and are trying to immigrate to the U.S., there is a serious problem.  \n\nI'm sympathetic to the economic problems that Mexican citizens are facing, but the U.S. has it's own problems, as well.  NO ONE IN THE WORLD has the right to just go to another country and expect "rights."  Every country...and I do mean EVERY country--even Mexico--has their own immigration rules and laws.  The U.S. is no exception, and I'm not sure why Mexican citizens feel they have the right to simply ignore our laws?\n\nThere is a problem and a lot of those people need help, if the government of Mexico is ill-equipped to help their own people, and they are insistent that flooding the U.S. is the only solution, then I say open the U.S. Mexico border; make Mexico a U.S. territory subject to all of our laws and taxes and give them protection under our military system.  \n\nI have no doubt this would be a mess, but honestly, what the heck are we supposed to do when the majority of Mexicans prefer to live in the U.S. and we can't stop them from flooding across the borders illegally?  It would be better to just open the borders so that citizens AND businesses can cross without restrictions, and that way over time, there will be less incentives to come north.
670288
We have problems here to take care of. What about the poor kids living in Appalachia, what about all the families displaced by Katrina, what about the kids who are loosing their dads in Iraq. Charity should begin at home. The Mexicans have had their own country longer than the United States has been a country. They need to make the changes that will bring about a better life in their own country. Why do they come here and demand that we bend over backwards for them.\n\nBilly B hit the nail on the head. The former U.S companies that moved their operations down there should be paying those people a fair wage, but guess what, they went ther for the slave labor. Ford Motor Company will be the next to go there. And they are right, they aren't our jobs, the jobs belong to the companies, they can do what they want. Isn't it funny that the big companies from America are leaving for the slave labor, and now the once unknown automakers like hyundai are opening plants here. They can afford to do that because the unions have been busted and now they can get auto workers for ten bucks an hour. Seems funny that these companies get labor cheaper, they use less people to build a car, they use less materials to build a car now, but the prices go higher every year. \nWell, the Mexicans can survive on their own, they survived a long time before we the United States arrived on the scene. I think they are attempting to destroy us from within, just like the communist said they would. Wake up America. Seal the Borders, shut the gates, stop the invasion.
439346
A bit off topic perhaps, but your question reminds me of Carlos Mencia's solution to getting all of the illegals out of the U.S.: \n\nWe should completely open the border. Then all of the illegals come up into the U.S. and it gets too crowded here and all of the people they were trying to get away from in Mexico will be here so they'll migrate North to get away again and they'll all be Canada's illegal immigrants and we can change the slur to from "wetbacks" to "frostbacks."
602806
secure the borders (both) then begin a systematic deportation process in tandem with strict fines and possible revocation of business licenses for employers who are not properly validating perspective employee work status.\n\nI am in line with 77% of Americans who support the house on enforcement. Just as before...Amnesty will not work. It has been tried and it is in part responsible for the national domestic crisis that America is facing now.\n\nMexico is NOT doing enough. They are actually encouraging this behavior in a big way. The Mexican government seems in way over their heads. I do not believe there is any thing the Mexican government can do to clean up the corruption that has brought that country to it's knees short of bringing in the U.N.  I am surprised that the people of Mexico have yet to organize a labor strike in their own country.
161266
why don't we just shoot them instead w/ snipers?... we could set up a wall like they had in berlin and when immigrants try to cross the border we could just shoot them down.  or we could just send a few nukes down to mexico and kill them and their families.  OR we could get to the reason why illegals are coming here- because corporations and small businesses hire them ILLEGALLY and just shoot them and then immigrants will no longer want to come here.... ooohhhh but that would be killing white people... and that's not ok.... it's only ok to plant landmines on mexicans because they are people of color right????...  pendejo!!!!
249271
And how does allowing illegal immigrants into our County help them improve their situation in their country?\n\nRather than entering our Country illegally, they should gather together in their own country and demand political reform.\n\nThe Mexican peoples are intelligent, hard working and ingenious.  There must be grass roots leaders among them who can organize a political revolution.\n\nIt is not the fault of the U.S. that the government is corrupt; frankly, we have our own corrupt government issues to deal with.\n\nPeople do not have to be wealthy to make something happen; they just have to be united and determined.\n\nLook up the statistics ... the REAL statistics ... of how many in the U.S. live below the poverty level.  You might find yourself amazed.\n\nI'm sorry for the troubles the people of Mexico are having, but we have our own problems that need to be fixed and we are going to HAVE to concentrate on HOME for a while.
327720
Amen.  If all these damn illegals from Mexico would spend as much time fixing what's wrong with Mexico instead of hopping the border and bitching about and costing America millions, the problem would fix itself.  All these illegals are too damn lazy to do anything to fix their own country, so they just come here and think they have a right to be here and gripe about everything and claim they have just as much right to MY country as I do even though I pay taxes and they don't...
233506
I think we should not be spending our time and money in Iraq.  If we take some of that money and make Mexico a better place, then maybe they want come here.  Or we can make Mexico one of our states.  Then we have more room to spread out.  Our country is getting over populated.  Canada has their country under control, why can't other countries get their act together?\n\nI do believe in cutting off the welfare.  It is not fair for people to have 20 kids and not do a thing.  They don't even care about the kids they have anyway. All they see if free money.  I'm tired of working my a** off while everyone else is living on easy street.  But I also have worked with illegal immigrants from Mexico and they really do work hard.  I'm just afraid that the Welfare habits will rub off.
438258
I agree that the wall is a dumb idea; symbolic mostly; and say, in very high traffic places, it may be beficial.\nJailing immigrants is NOT the solution, because it would be much, MUCH more expensive than building the wall. \nYour idea of investing in Mexico is interesting; except, of course, for the fact that that takes away from AMERICAN jobs and american economic progress.
380676
Don't even get me started.  I have so many problems with the immigration problem in the US I am not even sure where to begin.  The bottom line is that we spend billions on social welfare programs for people that contribute nothing more to this country than provide cheap labor.  I don't think it is unreasonable to ask that these folks go thru the legal immigration progress, and then become a productive "tax paying" citizen.
271502
I agree.  The idea that you can drive over the border for a visit and then stay for a couple of days and have your baby here free, because they can't refuse them medical help, then they get free food stamps and everything else that goes along with it.  I have mexican friends who are legal here and they say that the ones who come in illegally know all the tricks to get money from the government that we who live here know nothing about.  Their friends show them the ropes.  This is wrong.  CHANGE Mexico first.  It is a great country with lots of resources but a corrupt government.  The people have to change it there first.  We are overrun with illegals here in TEXAS.
256566
It SOUNDS like a good idea,  but my concern would be corrupt officials who would cheat the people.  And that's not aimed at only Mexican officials, we certainly have our share of them here in the States. You can't hardly listen to the news without hearing about some corrupt official being busted. If we could work out a way to do it so the help really went to the people who needed it most, I'd say go for it! I would be willing to help, because strong neighbors are much better neighbors than those who are in need. It would, in the long run, benefit the entire American continents and countries.
639146
I say 'trash welfare'. There should be some kind of structure to support women with little kids and no income, because some guys knock women up and hit the road...never to be seen again. Such impromptu 'families' need public assistance. I don't support doing that for foreigners, because that paves the path for the 'anchor baby' thing...anyway it should be done on a case-by-case basis, whatever's done needs to be well-managed so that riding a public program doesn't turn into a career for people....\n\nI've held minimum-wage jobs, and they sucked, but I did em anyway. If someone's hiring, don't turn your nose up, turn in an application. Maybe it doesn't have all the benefits and 'sugar' you want, but maybe you really don't need half that stuff anyway.\nI'd rather see americans roll up their sleeves and get out there and do some manual labor, rather than paying Manuel 3 bucks an hour to do it for them. I'm not saying that Manuel doesn't need an opportunity, I'm saying that it's not the job of american citizens to give him one. But: we can collectively do Manuel a BIG favor, and that's to lean on the corrupt institutions of Mexico until they see fit to reform and make their country a better place for those living in it...so they don't have to risk life, limb, incarceration and worse to try and have a shot at a decent life. Mexico's the real problem here, america's been plenty tolerant for decades, trying to help, trying to be a good neighbor, but you can't be blind to trends. Drugs and illegal labor have to be worth 50 billion annually to Mexico. Also, they need to cut their population growth rate, and stop expecting america to pick up the tab for their lack of planning...unless that IS the plan...in which case that fence can't go in place fast enough...
206112
It's not feasable to kick them all out. I think we need to tighten up the borders to limit the number of new illegals, and come up with a way to legalize the people who are here already. If they are here, and they want to stay, they need to play by the rules, pay taxes and make an effort to learn english. I can understand breaking the rules to get here, but once they are here, it's time to step up and become a real part of society.
113756
In 2004 10,000 federal agents (CBP) working on the border apprehended 1.1 million people attempting to cross the border.\n\nHave you ever been to the border between the US and Mexico?  It is very long (over 2000 miles) and extremely in hospitable. I know because I was stationed in a recon unit to watch a portion of it.  Even if a fence is built, there is no way to watch the fence all the time, and any fence can be breached.  Do the math....to adequately watch the border with real time guards (that is someone who can respond to an immediate breach) you would need a guard tower every 1/4 mile (depending on terrain).  That is 8000 guard towers.  To staff that 24 hours/365, with two agents, you would need 64,000 agents, plus another large group to actually round up the illegals, process them, and detain them.  Although some might like to, we can't shoot them or abuse them, so this is expensive.  \n\nBy my rapid calculations, we would need about 100,000 more law enforcement personnel (at a cost of 8 billion dollars per year, not counting facilities).  We would also have to build a more user-friendly infrastructure along the border, which, by the way has lots of private land along it.  Yes, we could uset he military to staff these towers, but wait, by the constitution we can't have active duty military or reserve make arrests (posse comitatus).  Yes, they can watch and radio (like we did in the Sonoran Desert years ago), but then you end up with nasty situations like the Marine who shot and killed a Mexican boy who had strayed over the border with some sheep.\n\nPart of the problem is that while people whine about this, they love to get cheap labor.  Many businesses and private families intentionally employ illegal aliens because they save money.  The pressure that special interest groups representing certain of these folks is certain to make it difficult to stop the supply.  Congress is about the consider a new bill to have guest workers, like in Germany with the Turks.  After all, you don't really want a job as a fruit picker, do you, or as an office cleaner...got to leave those for the migrant workers!