Folks, Ken may be on to something.I want to see the legal status set for those who want to be here legally first. Those who don't participate in what is offered or disregard it after this has been set in place should not be employed and the way to stop people from coming here illegally is to hit employers so hard is they hire them that none but the most brazen of employer toward the law would attempt to do so. No jobs for illegal immigrants = very, very few illegal immigrants. Also, we do not have the money and manpower to arrest and deport 12 million illegal immigrants so we have to take care of their legal status first and reduce that number down to a managaeable level for federal law enforcement.
What I'm not seeing addressed is the economic situation that's going to be caused by legalizing all those that are already here.
As soon as they are declared legal U.S. citizens, they immediately are due the same rights and privileges -- which includes the legal U.S. minimum wage.
As soon as employers have to start paying the legal minimum wage, plus figuring taxes, Medicare, social security, etc., their "need" for those workers will dramatically decrease.
As soon as employers start dismissing workers because they can no longer afford them, the illegal aliens will have to go elsewhere.
And if -- I say, if -- we crack down on the employers that make it tempting to work in the U.S. because of "under the table" payments, etc.; if we actually enforce or more strongly enforce immigration laws on those businesses, individuals, etc. who are hiring illegal aliens, then we dry up the source that causes the illegal aliens to come here in the first place.
I support Arizona's law, and its right to defend its citizens. But the problem isn't as simple as just shutting down the border.