Michael Costello: A Better Alternative to Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants Michael Costello - stltoday.com
go to original February 9, 2013

As Washington negotiates a tortuous path to citizenship for the approximately 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, the United States could consider a better alternative. Add a free movement of people provision to the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

This would allow citizens of Canada, Mexico and the United States to freely live, work, study and travel between the three countries without granting them citizenship in the respective countries. This would significantly reduce the need for requirements to check the employability of the workers in the United States, thereby reducing the paperwork for businesses and focusing the efforts of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a much smaller number of illegal aliens.

The time and energies of the ICE could then be focused on the much more important task of reducing the risk of violent crime by drug cartels and terrorists. A focus on the people trying to enter from air and seaports in North America and from the much smaller Mexican-Guatemalan border among a tri-country unified effort would be more cost-efficient and effective.

It would address the need in the United States for laborers in agriculture, construction and home health services with legal workers who would be willing and able to register for drivers’ licenses, pay taxes and return to their native homes. Unions would be able to solicit those workers for membership, thereby addressing the concerns that the wages and benefits would undercut otherwise qualified Americans desiring those jobs. For those Canadian and U.S. retirees desiring a lower cost of living and nice weather, it would provide the opportunity to reside by the beautiful beaches of Mexico.

Finally, it would reduce the incentive for other aliens to enter illegally with the hope of ultimately securing citizenship through amnesty. Then the issue of the number of highly trained technology and science workers needed by industry could be addressed without the distraction of a fight over amnesty for illegal aliens.

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