Issue 701 Smart Immigration October 16, 2015

So we talked about immigration yesterday, but that was on which system worked and was simple enough that avoided discrimination.  But today we are going to discuss smart immigration that can be applied to any immigration system. Let us begin.

Smart Immigration:  For those coming into the country to live here, whether they be non-citizen or a newly naturalized citizen, we want to prevent them from falling into poverty.  We all agree we don't want immigrants and non-citizens on welfare.  But not because they are not citizens or that they just became citizens and we dislike them.  The reason we don't want them getting welfare is because they should not need to be on it in the first place.  As such the government and businesses of all sizes should be able to look at and see if any people coming into the country have the potential to be hired.  Basically if the family member finds a job before they come here then they will be better off.  That is stating the obvious, but a job does no good if the neighborhood has taxes that are so high that it is unaffordable.  So an investment into the immigration system must be made to look at all the communities to find the most livable based on what the skills set of the family coming in and if that job(s) will provide the income they need to be able to thrive in the United States.  Things such as on the job training or training classes would and should be taken into account.  Community support such as local networking, churches/charities and food pantries in case the family falters economically should also be examined. Even establishing early communication between the incoming immigrant/legal resident with their new neighbors would do wonders to aid in making the new arrivals feel welcome.  Basically any support or method to insure that the family member(s) who will be working can support their families and establishing a welcoming community will need to be established.   Of course, if all else fails and the legal resident wants to leave, or the immigrant ceases to want to live in the U.S. and they cannot afford a way home, it should be up to the United States to give them a ticket home as that is the right thing to do.

Conclusion:  Some of these ideas have been discussed and attempted in various ways and in various capacities (most commonly adoption cases).  As such, we know that it can work, but the initial investment may be expensive as the current immigration support systems and ideas here will need to be integrated.  However, the result will be new citizens who can fend for themselves and thrive as part of our national community.