Two Men seeking Citizenship!
I have recently met two men who disclosed they had illegally entered the US . Frankly, in the past I would have been skeptical of both because of their method of entry. Both men are hard working with great character and deeply love their families. One of them has not seen his family in 4 1/2 years because if he leaves he cannot pay the "Coyotes" to get him back into the US. He works here to support his family and sends 90% of his earnings home. I now realize he is a great man with a huge problem. He would make a great American citizen, but realizes there is little opportunity to solve his dilemma. He knows our laws, studies our constitution, and can discuss our political system more objectively than most Americans. He doesn't have that freedom in his home country due to corruption. He appreciates our system and our government.
Why Did They Come to America?
I have asked both men questions about how they arrived in this country and why they wanted to come. The answer was the same. They indicated they came because of corruption in their home countries ( Nicaragua and Guatemala). Apparently, any wage earned there is cut down by the gangs, politicians, and neighborhood thugs who all want a share of the income. The result is living in constant fear and with very little income to support their family. As you read the following few blogs, I ask you to do two things that might help in finding a solution for the problem in our country concerning undocumented immigrants:
1. Think objectively and not politically about a workable process to solve the
problem.
2. Be ready to push for implementation of your desired solution.
Some Propose to Deport Every Undocumented Individual?
People have proposed the solution is to expel 11 million people who are here illegally and it is unrealistic. That solution would cost families to be separated and costly to administer. I am not advocating we condone the fact that these folks ignored our laws to come. The bottom line it they are here. I believe we need to minimize the cost of implementation of a plan to create a path to citizenship. The plan must also not penalize all those who have applied legally to become citizens.. Many have waited for years to go through the system. They should not be penalized. The ideas I proposed in my earlier blog are not original but intended to simplify the procedure to help these millions of immigrants become citizens without leaving the country. The plan would require future immigrants to enter legally. It is intended only to solve the problem of how to handle the people who are already here. I will provide an outline of a suggested solution in Part II of this series. You are invited to participate as follows:
1. I have no pride of authorship.
2. Suggested improvements welcome.
3. Let the legislators know you seek their support.
For specific suggestions and solutions, please read in the previous blog-A Plan for Citizenship
In Him
Dean