I’m not sure how they track illegal aliens that they’ve opted not to export just yet, but by definition, once they are in the system by way of intentional interaction with the government, they are “documented”. Becomming identified/identifiable is far from impossible; Its an inconvenient pain though.
All it takes to get a library card is a piece of mail. For that mail, an address. Homeless shelters(among others, but here its free of charge) provide address/mail services(of a sort, and by request). Library card + piece of mail plus some sort of birth certificate(think a foreign one will do) will get you a State ID, generally issued at the DMV/BMV, but you don’t have to pass a driving exam for an ID.
Getting ID alone is not the problem. The problem is all the baggage it un-packs into a mess on the floor. IMHO, someone who takes the initiative to literally tell the government who they are and where they live should be allowed to work, rent an apartment, recieve healthcare, and otherwise be left alone unless they need help or commit a crime … hell, make them citizens after x years “above board” … but that’s not the state we live in.
“Work Permit”/“Visa”/whatever, should come with some guarantees/privileges/obligations(for any party bring an immigrant/potential in), like, thanks for letting us know you’re coming, here’s your job, some necessities/food and a place to stay until you can afford better. Whenever we hit the point that NOT having those things meant illegal/criminal is one of the tipping points where the US became less free. I don’t care what an idividual has done, that damage to our Liberty and the promise of “The American Dream” was worse, no matter your criteria.
Immigmants bring prosperity and good will. Always have and still do(todays immigrants, especially the illegal ones, are more law-abiding than any before), regardless of legal status. There is no reason to treat them as our government does today.
Immigration is a complex issue. I think the problem is no one wants to spend money on those people. You are talking about giving them free stuff with no incentive to work. Sure you could just take it away after a period of time but at the end of the day there is a better solution.
What would be ideal is that companies could have process for legally bring people to work. They could have contracts where a person works for a set period of time and after that time they are a citizen. The key would be to protect the workers rights via OSHA and other labor laws. This would especially be needed as they would be on a contract.
I am absolutely not talking about “free stuff”. They have to prove they have a job lined-up to get a work Visa; Proof they also have housing lined up and the ability to buy groceries should also be a part of that, and on the employer. It’s the would-be employer who is claiming to “need” them, after all.
I agree citizenship should be guaranteed after a set period of time, but I’ll settle for them not breaking the law during that time. There are plenty of legal ways to support onesself and not “be a burden to society” outside of normal employment.
The path to citizenship for people already here should be more straight-forward/much the same as well. I would argue that its harder to sneak into this country than to enter it legally. Seems to me that those people want it more, and have demonstrated they are willing to endure hardship to get here. “Free stuff” for them? Not available legally already, but they shouldn’t be criminalized just for being here and needing food and/or a place to stay. No one chooses to stay in a shelter “to scam the system”.
I’m not sure how they track illegal aliens that they’ve opted not to export just yet, but by definition, once they are in the system by way of intentional interaction with the government, they are “documented”. Becomming identified/identifiable is far from impossible; Its an inconvenient pain though.
All it takes to get a library card is a piece of mail. For that mail, an address. Homeless shelters(among others, but here its free of charge) provide address/mail services(of a sort, and by request). Library card + piece of mail plus some sort of birth certificate(think a foreign one will do) will get you a State ID, generally issued at the DMV/BMV, but you don’t have to pass a driving exam for an ID.
Getting ID alone is not the problem. The problem is all the baggage it un-packs into a mess on the floor. IMHO, someone who takes the initiative to literally tell the government who they are and where they live should be allowed to work, rent an apartment, recieve healthcare, and otherwise be left alone unless they need help or commit a crime … hell, make them citizens after x years “above board” … but that’s not the state we live in.
“Work Permit”/“Visa”/whatever, should come with some guarantees/privileges/obligations(for any party bring an immigrant/potential in), like, thanks for letting us know you’re coming, here’s your job, some necessities/food and a place to stay until you can afford better. Whenever we hit the point that NOT having those things meant illegal/criminal is one of the tipping points where the US became less free. I don’t care what an idividual has done, that damage to our Liberty and the promise of “The American Dream” was worse, no matter your criteria.
Immigmants bring prosperity and good will. Always have and still do(todays immigrants, especially the illegal ones, are more law-abiding than any before), regardless of legal status. There is no reason to treat them as our government does today.
Immigration is a complex issue. I think the problem is no one wants to spend money on those people. You are talking about giving them free stuff with no incentive to work. Sure you could just take it away after a period of time but at the end of the day there is a better solution.
What would be ideal is that companies could have process for legally bring people to work. They could have contracts where a person works for a set period of time and after that time they are a citizen. The key would be to protect the workers rights via OSHA and other labor laws. This would especially be needed as they would be on a contract.
I am absolutely not talking about “free stuff”. They have to prove they have a job lined-up to get a work Visa; Proof they also have housing lined up and the ability to buy groceries should also be a part of that, and on the employer. It’s the would-be employer who is claiming to “need” them, after all.
I agree citizenship should be guaranteed after a set period of time, but I’ll settle for them not breaking the law during that time. There are plenty of legal ways to support onesself and not “be a burden to society” outside of normal employment.
The path to citizenship for people already here should be more straight-forward/much the same as well. I would argue that its harder to sneak into this country than to enter it legally. Seems to me that those people want it more, and have demonstrated they are willing to endure hardship to get here. “Free stuff” for them? Not available legally already, but they shouldn’t be criminalized just for being here and needing food and/or a place to stay. No one chooses to stay in a shelter “to scam the system”.
Forcing companies to feed and house the labor they import is nothing like giving anyone “free stuff”.