My comment wasn't meant to say it isn't hard for undocumented residents but to say it should be hard to the point where there isn't incentive to come here UNLESS they go through the legal path of doing so.
So make their lives miserable enough to the point where they "self-deport" like Romney suggested? Or to where they tell their relatives back home that it's hell over here so don't even try it?
That's pretty immoral on its own but even more so when you consider that a lot of times they have family members that are legal, that are citizens, and often that are US-born. Like I mentioned to the other poster, the undocumented aren't this separate species or even separate ethnic group that stays that way for eternity.
They live and work with all kinds of people and often have families that they support. Making their lives miserable makes the lives of a lot of other people miserable.
Also, to match it up with you past comment, what do you think making undocumented residents have an easier path to legality (post-second amnesty) will do to that statement you underlined? It will start to close that gap and eliminate a contrast of using the legal channels vs just bypassing them and still being rewarded similarly. It isn't a good idea if you want to encourage the legal route and if you think the legal route is too strict, you should legislate a freer flow of legal immigration, not ease the undocumented path.
Did you just ignore that huge chart I posted?? You keep bringing up people "bypassing legal channels," and "encouraging the legal route."
It's not that the legal routes aren't attractive enough or not easy enough, THEY DON'T EXIST, PERIOD.
And I don't think giving amnesty every 30 years is really "easing the undocumented path." I know for a fact that immigrants in the early 90s were aware that another amnesty anytime soon was extremely unlikely given that the first one in history had just happened in 1986.
Well, that's somewhat the point. If you take away the economic incentive to come here via undocumented means, most people won't do it. They will see that they either come in legally or it isn't worth it outside of that path.
E-verify doesn't remove the economic incentive. The US will still be a giant, rich, capitalist country and will still do what countries with those characteristics do: seek out cheap labor.
You just talked about how bad it is for undocumented residents and then say this? No, we shouldn't continually have this drip affect of residents who get second class status until there is no reasonable option but to legalize them all. That's not a competent system by any means and an irresponsible way to go about it. You set a number of immigrants to come into the country and you discourage an illegal immigration possible.
Thing is, the undocumented WILL get here, no matter what. I think the responsible way is to first give them certain tools (California allowing them to have insurance, driver's licenses, in-state tuition, for example) to allow them to live decent lives. Then create pathways to legality (with vetting included, obviously), then amnesty as a final net.
The irresponsible and immoral route is to make their lives as shitty as possible so that they tell their friends and family back home how hellish it is here and it scares them enough to not try it.
