In reply to:
...liberals get the warm fuzzies...
I consider myself quite liberal and I have very strong feelings about immigration.
1) Legally becoming a citizen or legal resident in the US needs to become easier. Once again, if you've got plenty of money it's easy. You just hire a lawyer, and bam...you've got all the papers you need - and quickly. If you're broke, then you're pretty much out of luck. A large part of the reason so many people in the US are illegal immigrants is because of the incredible amount of red tape, and legal hoops the average person needs to go through to become legal.
2) Having said that, if you're not legal, you don't belong here. Giving drivers licenses to people that you know are illegal? Who's the genius that came up with that idea? If you know someone is illegally here, give them 30 days to show proof of legal status (or at least proof that the process is underway) and then kick them out.
3) That crap about how illegals do the jobs that no one else wants to do is complete BS. I grew up in Maine. Immigrants are few and far between. Guess who works at the carwash, in the kitchen at McDonalds, etc...high school students - kids. They get their feet wet in the job world. Most of the legal (read: white) kids I've seen and talked with out here in LA think it's beneath them to have a jobs like that. That's BS.
4) Border patrols - Give these people the resources they need! We've got a HUGE border. If someone is sneaking across, clearly they're not intending to become
legal residents.
5) Crack down on small (and large) businesses that hire illegal immigrants. These businesses have to stop taking advantage of illegals. Paying them FAR less than they would a legal person, and on top of that paying them under the table so no taxes are paid. They not only do it because it's cheaper, they do it because going through the right channels involves a ton of paperwork and headaches to hire an immigrant. I've known many friends who are here with student visas, or have green cards. Many employers don't want to have to deal with it, so they don't hire them.
It all goes back to how hard it is to actually do it the right way. INS needs to be completely reformed. Simplify the process. Do a background check on people entering (which that alone I know is another whole can of worms), keep out known criminals, etc...the rest of them, issue them a SS card, and tell them to get to work and start contributing. The vast majority of immigrants coming to American do in fact want to contribute. Nobody wants to feel or be treated like a 2nd class. If you're going to treat them like 2nd class people by only paying them 1/2 a wage, only hiring them for meanial jobs, etc...why should they become legal?