We promise this is the last hokey reference to Vegas...
As the conference came to a close, one hand became apparent, the feeling that Comprehensive Immigration Reform is poised to happen late this year. Whether this is optimistic conjecture on behalf of immigration attorneys, or truly a reality, one thing is certain the current immigration system is broken and an enforcement only approach is unrealistic, inhumane and creates a gaping hole in our national security.
By not recognizing the fact that we have an undocumented population, we leave this community in the shadows putting them at risk and more importantly putting ourselves at risk by not knowing who is in our country and what they are doing. The purpose of having a working immigration system is to have control of our borders and to have the information necessary on foreign nationals within our borders. Leaving this unchecked creates a security nightmare that can no longer be ignored. While many may feel that the answer lies in an enforcement only approach, this is quite simply unrealistic. There is no conceivable way to round up the entire undocumented population in a short period of time and dump them at the borders. Furthermore, a strong majority of this may be eligible for an immigration benefit, that they are not aware of. Finally, ensuring that we find the bad actors is impossible, as they are in the shadows currently, and most likely are reaping the benefits of operating under the radar.
The United States, now more than ever, needs a workable immigration system, that will bring all of these individuals out of the shadows, allow for control of our immigration system, and allow us to find the bad actors with a much more manageable, sensible use of our resources.
