Part II: Defining Success

Instead of seeking to contain a bad situation, suppose we take a step back and try to envision actual success. Is there an outcome that would be considered victory by the vast majority of the participants in this conundrum?

Americans, for all of our anger and blustering, are a compassionate lot. We don’t want people to suffer. We sympathize with their situation, but there’s a limit to how much we are willing to sacrifice to ease the pain of those who have violated our laws. We like immigrants, in general, but have a two hundred year history of accepting immigrants who wish, as our own ancestors did, to conform to the American way. We expect them to learn our language, follow our rules and change their culture to more closely match our own. Far too many of the current crop do not meet our expectations. We wish them happiness… elsewhere. The ideal solution for the vast majority of American citizens would be for all of the illegal immigrants to simply go back from whence they came.

Those living here illegally do not live in the America the rest of us know so well and love. Rather, they live in hiding, constantly looking over their shoulders; taking whatever jobs they can find where their status is not scrutinized and largely dependent on social programs for survival. They watch the news and are aware of our anger. Many are separated from their loved ones in their bid for a better life. They, too, would prefer that they could just go home, but the problems which drove them out have not been solved.

And our third group, those who long for the opportunity to come here to work, legally, don’t want to give up their homeland or their heritage. They want to strengthen their country and raise the standard of living for their families.

Instead of the immigration bill being so heatedly debated and belittled, we need an immigration bill that would fulfill all of these desires. Instead of spending over a trillion dollars perpetuating a crisis, we should spend far less, and accomplish far more.