Pasi Nurminen
Deity
The answer to the illegal immigration problem is quite simple: legalize it. America, and all other Western countries where immigration is a costly and time consuming procedure, must reduce the red tape required to gain legal entry to nil. Simply throw open the floodgates, and anyone who wishes to apply for residency/landed immigrant status within is entitled to do so, with very few questions asked.
Fees associated with immigration must be removed, as they are a form of financial segregation. It is no secret that living and working conditions in countries such as America or Canada are much greater than those of the third world, and with immigration fees into the (tens of) thousands of dollars, the vast majority of people living in the world cannot afford access to a better life inside Western nations. Why should we do this? Why should we deny poor people living in Aisia, Africa, and Latin America the chance at a better life, at clean drinking water, at competent health care, simply because they have no money? It is a person's inalienable human right to move about the world as he or she pleases, and in charging exorbitant fees to those who simply wish to live a better life in another country is segregation of the poor from the middle and upper class. It is elitism, the supposed democracies of the world stating that they do not wish the poor of other nations within their borders.
Not only are the costs of immigration into Western countries excessively high, but the red tape around the whole process, even those who are financially eligible is needlessly excessive. Do refugees living in tents in some camp in the middle of the desert have six years to wait before their immigration application is approved? Unless, of course, on the rare occasion that some government official decides arbitrarily to apply refugee status and admit .05% of them as refugees.
The form for immigration into the United States (or Canada, UK, France, etc) should consist of two questions: 1) Are you an American (or Canadian, British, etc) citizen? To which the respondant would obviously answer "no." 2) Do you wish to live inside America? To which the respondant would select "yes." At this point, an "approved" stamp would be issued, and the person would emigrate to the country of application.
Current immigration laws are not too lax; they are too severe. Excessive bureaucracy surrounding immigration laws constitute a violation of human rights, particularly amongst the poor of the world.
Fees associated with immigration must be removed, as they are a form of financial segregation. It is no secret that living and working conditions in countries such as America or Canada are much greater than those of the third world, and with immigration fees into the (tens of) thousands of dollars, the vast majority of people living in the world cannot afford access to a better life inside Western nations. Why should we do this? Why should we deny poor people living in Aisia, Africa, and Latin America the chance at a better life, at clean drinking water, at competent health care, simply because they have no money? It is a person's inalienable human right to move about the world as he or she pleases, and in charging exorbitant fees to those who simply wish to live a better life in another country is segregation of the poor from the middle and upper class. It is elitism, the supposed democracies of the world stating that they do not wish the poor of other nations within their borders.
Not only are the costs of immigration into Western countries excessively high, but the red tape around the whole process, even those who are financially eligible is needlessly excessive. Do refugees living in tents in some camp in the middle of the desert have six years to wait before their immigration application is approved? Unless, of course, on the rare occasion that some government official decides arbitrarily to apply refugee status and admit .05% of them as refugees.
The form for immigration into the United States (or Canada, UK, France, etc) should consist of two questions: 1) Are you an American (or Canadian, British, etc) citizen? To which the respondant would obviously answer "no." 2) Do you wish to live inside America? To which the respondant would select "yes." At this point, an "approved" stamp would be issued, and the person would emigrate to the country of application.
Current immigration laws are not too lax; they are too severe. Excessive bureaucracy surrounding immigration laws constitute a violation of human rights, particularly amongst the poor of the world.
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