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At The New York Sun, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich explains seven steps that must be taken to control illegal immigration. He writes:
1. First get 100 percent control of the border. The combination of the wall, more border agents in the field, and much tougher asylum rules and procedures will rapidly turn the flood into a trickle.
2. Insist that states, cities, and counties cooperate with the federal government in enforcing the law. Any jurisdiction which refuses to cooperate should have all its federal funding suspended as of that day — every cent. New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles would be in budgetary chaos within a week if leaders insisted on placing liberal politics over the law.
3. Focus early deportations on criminals and persons with past criminal records. This is essential to public safety. In a September letter to Representative Tony Gonzales, the Department of Homeland Security reported there were 435,719 illegal immigrants in the country who have criminal convictions. Another 226,847 have pending criminal charges. Convicted illegal immigrants should be immediately expelled, and none should be released into American society while awaiting trial or processing.
4. Once most criminal illegal immigrants are deported, shift focus to all unaccompanied males. It is estimated 35 percent of all illegal immigrants are males between 18 and 39. There is no humanitarian reason for allowing this population to enter and live in our country illegally.
5. Find the unaccompanied children and return them to their parents or relatives back home. The number of young people who have been trapped in prostitution and other forms of exploitation is staggering and heartbreaking. They deserve to be liberated and returned to their relatives in their home countries.
6. Develop a path to citizenship for so-called dreamers, who were brought to the United States as young children and have lived here peacefully and productively for their entire lives. It is vital in maintaining support for deporting illegal immigrants that popular support be sustained through nuanced approaches to specific issues. Nearly 81 percent of Americans favor enabling dreamers to become citizens. There would be huge opposition to deporting them.
7. Continue to emphasize the importance of legal immigration. Callista and I recently produced a film for PBS called “Journey to America” that celebrates the lives and work of remarkable people who immigrated to America legally. As many Americans favor legal immigration as oppose illegal immigration (73 percent in each case). An anti-illegal immigration policy can retain overwhelming popular support. An anti-legal immigration policy is simply not what most Americans want.
Read more here.
