In the past year I have been watching the immigration debate unfold. And though I know that it is more “debated” because it is an election year these are some thoughts that I have on the issue.

I would like to see a greater relaxation of our current immigration policies. This combined with a greater initiative by American citizens and government to assimilate immigrants would probably go further in solving this problem we have with illegals. While I do not advocate amnesty, I do believe our current policies make trying to get into America a very long and difficult process where one has to jump through hoops or wait years on end. This system makes coming over illegally much more appealing. For most immigrants the only thing you could really accuse them of is wanting to try and make a better life for themselves or families in their home country. And for that they are called criminals (illegals). The immigration system should be streamlined to make coming into America to work or live much easier.  This may mean adding more workers to process paperwork or getting rid of some paperwork altogether. Streamlining the system would make crossing the border illegally less appealing decreasing those who are illegal.

The second part of this proposal is that the government should encourage assimilation rather than accommodation as much as possible. What this means is instead of having everything translated into other languages at the immigrants finger tips, instead, the expectation is that if you come into this country you will make an effort to learn the culture and language. This process could be sped up though the offering of free American English and culture classes and community centers. This burden should not only be shouldered by the federal government, but though local government and individual citizen initiatives especially in areas where there are high concentration of immigrants. To this end grassroots organizations should be encouraged by all levels of the government to help assimilate immigrants.

I know that I do not fully understand the immigration system but it seems that these simple steps could go a long way in addressing this issue. Clearly, this should in no way mean that we just let anyone one in. As a sovigern nation we have a duty to enforce our borders especially from those trying to traffic in illegal drugs, weapons, and corruption. This approach would hurt individuals and companies who try and exploit immigrates. Again a key component to making this work is making sure Americans are getting involved in the assimilation process. For the investment we put into our immigration population our result will be a stronger and well rounded country.