Deport the Criminals, Keep the Workers
19th December 2024
While Trump and his aides have expressed that the top priority for deportations is illegal immigrants with a criminal record, they claim that all other illegal residents, including peaceful immigrants like Grandma, will follow. But instead of conducting the “largest deportation operation in history,” President Trump should conduct the largest legalization effort that would create many millions of new legal American residents.
The problem of criminality among illegal immigrants has been blown out of proportion. The crime rate for illegal immigrants is reportedly lower than that of native-born Americans. Still, those who engage in violent crimes should face the criminal system, and it is appropriate that noncitizens who commit crimes in America be deported.
But the vast majority of illegal immigrants present in America (around 11 million in 2022, according to the Pew Research Center) are peaceful people who have come here to work and build a better life. These immigrants associate with Americans by trade, family, or both: Many of them work in construction, hospitality, and agriculture, and many live in households with American citizens.
December 23rd, 2024 at 10:13
I’ve heard this one before. Didn’t Ted Kennedy promise at least twice that if we gave “a path to citizenship” to all the illegals in the country “just this once” that we would never have to do it again? I remember that happening at least twice, and since it worked both times, here we are again.