What's the answer to the United State's Immigration challenges?
148054
United Statates most definetly does not have an "open door" policy with regards to immigration. It does not have an active immigration program like Canada does.\n\nPersonally, as much as I don't like Bush, his guest worker program proposal makes sense, this would stop illegal immigration by a large extent.\n\nAlso I belive that the US should concentrate more on selecting educated people to come to the US, right now these people represent a small minority from the immigration programs available.
687197
USA has a strong immigration system. Ironically, a certain number of illegal immigrants is required to sustain the U.S economy. There are certain segments where it is very difficult or expensive to find local workers like farming, cleaning and construction work.\n\nYes you are right some of the immigration policies are obsolete and needs to be revised.  For example the U.S government is running a visa lottery program intended to benefit the countries who have immigration less than the annual per country limit. This lottery program is a little absurd because there is no hard rules even a very low qualified person can get a green card because he has won in the draw. Instead of this the Government can revise to introduce a point system where points are awarded based upon the qualification and expertise needed in the U.S. If one scores the minimum points required, he can file for immigration.  In this way, U.S will get only those persons who are required or are in shortage in U.S.  Many countries like U.K. Canada, Newzealand and Australia are running such programs.
751926
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.
363148
Problem #1: Population \n\nThe first problem I see with the current state of the immigration laws is the significant rise in population that has, and will, continue to occur over the next fifty years. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an estimated 1.1 million immigrants, both legal and illegal, enter the United States every year. 700,000 of these are legal immigrants; 120,000 are refugees, and between 250,000 to 300,000 are undocumented or illegal “aliens” ( Baldwin, 1995). The United States population at the moment is roughly 288 million people. If this trend of aliens is not decreased, the population will reach 400 million by 2050. How many people can America hold? \n\nProblem #2: Benefits Illegal Aliens Recieve \n\nCurrently, under federal law, undocumented foreign citizens are eligible for emergency healthcare, free schooling from kindergarten through high school, and W.I.C. or Woman, Infants, and Children nutritional program ( Baldwin, 1995). This is important to note because there are currently between eight and ten million aliens currently living illegally in the United States. An estimated 2.5 million of these illegal aliens currently reside in the state of California alone, due to the agricultural jobs that are readily available for cheap labor (Kadetsky, 102). It should not be surprising then that the residents of California were outraged over the amount of money that they were being forced to spend, and the amount of resources that were being used to support aliens that are not “allowed” to be in the United States in the first place. \n\n \n\nProblem #3: Homeland Security\n\nIn the Fiscal year of 2002, which runs October 1 through September 30, the United States Coast Guard, which is the country’s primary maritime, or sea going, law enforcement agency, intercepted 4104 immigrants from various South American countries (USCG, Para 2). Since then, the numbers of immigrants intercepted by the Coast Guard, has continued to climb at an alarming rate; jumping to almost 11,000 in 2004, 9,500 in 2005, and currently with less than two months into the 2006 physical year, there have already been 1,000 migrants accounted for and processed through the Coast Guard (USCG, Para 1). Illegal immigration can potentially cost American tax payers billions of dollars a year. The United States Coast Guard, whose primary obligation is to prevent the loss of life at sea, can not stop this problem by its self, it is mearly the first line of defense. It is up to the rest of America to join the fight and help put an end to this awful practice.\n\n\nthanks cherokee rose i put my signature on  petition you rock
58695
What is here? Do you mean how to find immigrants to the United States? If that’s the case, it all depends on when. Need more information to answer with any depth.
403057
Discover problem: illegal immigration cross over US boarders.\n\nSolution: Hire 6000 patrol officers to guard a 1500-mile border. Build a 500-mile chain link fence.\n\nProblem not solved. Charities now helping illegal immigrants cross over.\n\nNew solution: Increase to 14000 patrol officers. Offer 4-star holding-cells with welcome party to immigrants that make it over. Raise budget for war in Iraq. Hold party for other laws piggy-backing the immigration laws.\n\nProblem still not solved.\n\nNew solution: Legalize red-neck hunting of illegal immigrants.\n\nProblem solved.
699849
Hard to get, intentionally. The US is in a somewhat protectionist mood over the last couple years. If you're serious about wanting to be in the US, get to know everything about it (history, society, etc.)--that will help with your citizenship process.
954376
"Do you think that immigration should be limited or that any limits should be lifted - Why"\n\n"Do you think that it is different today than in the past and why?"\n\n"Do you think that illegal immigration should be punished and why?"\n\n"Who do you think should have to pay for the immigration process (background checks etc.)?"\n\n"What do you think should be the criteria, if any, for someone wanting to be a citizen (in the past there were job and or monetary requirements, should there be now and why)?"\n\n"Should our immigration laws be stricter or more lenient than other countries'?"\n\nHope this gets you started.  Good Luck!
898108
Fence is not the proper solution to curb immigration.  The US must give aid for development of its neighboring countries so that people will improve their standard of living in their home countries and will not come to America for greener pastures.
213323
Perhaps Arizona should look at ways of increasing the capacity of its systems.  I think about the former "traditonal gateways" to this nation like New York/San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Buffalo, Detroit etc. and how they managed and benefited from large influxes of immigrants.  Perhaps the state government of Arizona just has not decided to build the infrastructure it needs to manage this.  I'd venture to say that if the same amount of influx were to happen in NYC or SF etc. (and it is happening in both those cities!) that you would be hearing little about a crisis. . .but that the locality would mobilize to solve the matter that benefits all.
534037
America needs immigrants. Americans demand everything be as cheap as possible, yet they aren't willing to work for low wages.\nThe more you shop at Wal-Mart, the more likely jobs will either:\nA) Go overseas \nB) Go to illegals and immigrants who are willing to work for change.
960571
You would be better speaking to your congressman. They have liason officers to help with immigration issues.\n\nGood luck.
853396
The reality is \nthat we don't have an "Illegal Immigration" problem in America.\n\nWe have an "Illegal Employer" problem. \n\nYet it's almost never mentioned in the mainstream media,\nbecause to point it out \ncould slightly reduce the profits and CEO salaries \nof many of America's largest multi-state \nand multinational corporations - \nwho both own the media \nand contribute heavily to conservative politicians.\n\nEncouraging a rapid increase in the workforce \nby encouraging companies to hire non-citizens \nis one of the three most potent tools \nconservatives since Ronald Reagan have used \nto convert the American middle class \ninto the American working poor. \n(The other two are \ndestroying the governmental protections \nthat keep labor unions viable, \nand \nending tariffs while promoting trade deals \nlike NAFTA / WTO/ GATT that export manufacturing jobs.)\n\nFor example, \nwhen Nike began manufacturing shoes \nin Third World countries with labor costs below US labor costs, \nit didn't lead to $15 Nikes - \ntheir price held, \nand even increased, \nbecause the market would bear it. \nInstead, that reduction in labor costs \nled to Nike CEO Phil Knight becoming a multi-billionaire\n\nThe fact is \nthat we have had an open border with Mexico \nfor several centuries, \nand "illegal immigration" was never a serious problem. \n\nBefore Reagan's presidency, \nan estimated million or so people a year \ncame into the US from Mexico - \nand the same number, more or less, left the US for Mexico \nat the end of the agricultural harvest season. \nVery few stayed, because there weren't jobs for them. \n\nNon-citizens didn't have access \nto the non-agricultural US job market, \nin large part because of the power of US labor unions \n(before Reagan 25% of the workforce was unionized; \ntoday the private workforce is about 7% unionized), \nand because companies were unwilling to risk \nhaving non-tax-deductible labor expenses on their books \nby hiring undocumented workers \nwithout valid Social Security numbers. \n\nBut Reagan put an end to that. \nHis 1986 amnesty program, \ncombined with his aggressive war on organized labor \n(begun in 1981), \nin effect told both employers and non-citizens \nthat there would be few penalties \nand many rewards to increasing the US labor pool \n(and thus driving down wages) \nwith undocumented immigrants. \n\nA million people a year \ncontinued to come across our southern border, \nbut they stopped returning to Latin America every fall \nbecause instead of seasonal work \nthey were able to find permanent jobs. \n\nThe magnet drawing them? Illegal Employers. \n\nOur borders have always been porous \nbut we've never had a problem like this before. \n\nAnd it's not just because poverty has increased in Mexico -\n\nToday, about half of Mexico lives on less than $2 a day, \nbut 50 years ago \nhalf of Mexico also lived on the equivalent of $2 today. \n\nYet fifty years ago \nwe didn't have an "illegal immigration" problem, \nbecause back then \nwe didn't have a conservative "Illegal Employer" problem. \n\nAs the Washington Post noted \nin an article by Hsu and Lydersen on June 19, 2006 : \n\n"Between 1999 and 2003, \nwork-site enforcement operations were scaled back 95 percent\nby the Immigration and Naturalization Service, \nwhich subsequently was merged \ninto the Homeland Security Department. \nThe number of employers prosecuted \nfor unlawfully employing ILLEGAL ALIENS \ndropped from 182 in 1999 \nto four in 2003, \nand fines collected declined from $3.6 million to $212,000, \naccording to federal statistics." \n"In 1999, the United States initiated fines against 417 companies.\nIn 2004, it issued fine notices to three."\n\nThe hiring crimes of Illegal Employers \nare being ignored by the law, \nand rewarded by the economic systems of the nation. \n\nProof that this simple reality is
1181588
NOT SO MUCH A THREAT.,BUT AS A BURDEN THAT MIGHT BE MORE THAN THE AMERICAN SYSTEM COULD SUSTAIN AND MORE THAN THE MAJORITY OF U.S. CITIZENS WANT TO CARRY ie THE COST IN EDU. AND SOCIAL SERVICES. WHEN THEY COME IN TO AMERICA LEGAL THEY BRING PART OF THE GREATNESS THAT ALL IMMIGRANTS THAT CAME HERE BROUGHT!..GREAT QUESTION!!
648852
It is not a case of tougher laws, but a more comprehensive system that can realistically be implemented. Migration of workers to areas where there is a demand for labor is not a NEW phenomenon. Why are we surprised when the forces of demand and supply are at work? What we need to do is ensure that we have programs that allow for those forces to come into play without causing too much strain on the system as a whole. a guest worker program allows for the govt to collect taxes owed to it and fund its projects while faciliating the demand for low skilled labor in certain industries. The flow is monitored and documented and every beneficiary in tha chain pays its dues.....that makes sense to me than mass deportation. Who pays for 12MM bus fares or plane tickets? I also don't wish to see the already strained police resources and homeland security running around catching illegals when there are some serious bad guys on the loose. Who pays for the addt'l forces needed? Doesn't make one iota of sense to me........
328815
How to resolve the illegal immigration problem. But explore the option of criminalizing employers of illegal immigrants and not the immigrants. Those are the ones the that need to be fined and jailed, not the immigrants or their countries blamed. Employers are greedy and are not willing to pay social, medical or taxes. As long as there are jobs in the US for illegal immigrants, they will continue coming.
830512
It's hard to tell.  What they want and what they get are two different things and what they can get away with is another.\n\nAmerican citizens have to keep a close eye on them and Demand Deportation of illegal aliens.\n\nI think they are a little frightened of the public right now and will delay the immigration issue or try to sneak it behind Americans backs.  Which will be a little hard to do since so many grassroots organizations and watch dog groups have popped up.