"Give me your tired, your poor..."

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

The answers to illegal immigration and border security in the United State are not fences, paths to legal status, or shoot to kill.  It is full legalization for all current and potential immigrants who want to enter the United States and work legally.  No quotas.  No waiting lists.  No restrictions.  If you want to work, you can come.  If you want to start a company, you can come – no investment minimums.  As long as you comply with U.S. laws and customs, you can stay.

So how does this increase boarder security?  I would create entry points along all four coasts where all potential immigrants would need to enter, much in the same way that Ellis Island functioned in the 1800’s and early 1900’s.  In fact, I would name this system after Ellis Island.  As an example, you would probably have Ellis Island Immigration centers in San Francisco, San Diego, Laredo, Miami, New York, Buffalo, and Detroit.  All legal immigration to the United States would be funneled through those cities. 

If you want to enter the U.S. to make a better life for yourself, why would you enter through any other port?  Also, it is generally accepted that the vast majority of current illegal immigrants are entering the U.S. to obtain work, not for drugs, terrorism, arms, or other illicit activities.  If you remove all the former, then the majority of those entering illegally are engaging in the latter, making it much easier for our boarder security forces to focus on those wanting to do harm.

So what effect will this sudden wave of immigration have on the United States?  Won’t it make it harder for Americans to find jobs?  In some cases, it may, but I am confident it will generally have a more significant positive effect.  Another commonly accepted paradigm is that a higher proportion of immigrants tend to be entrepreneurs as compared to native born Americans.  Increases in our population will also increase the need for services across all sectors.  This creates employment opportunities.   Additionally, many of these immigrants will likely be willing to take on jobs that native born Americans are less likely to be interest in, filling vital gaps.  Finally, tying in to entrepreneurship, immigration brings new ideas.

This is a simple proposal meant to start a dialogue, and not a serious analysis of the issue of immigration.