A three-part proposal for solving immigration: 1) build a fence, 2) eliminate social benefits, and 3) simplify the process of legal immigration.

Sadly, even after President Bush's recent speech on illegal immigration, a truly comprehensive policy to secure our borders and address the influx of illegal aliens (not "undocumented immigrants") has not been put forth. Therefore, I'd like to propose one. The problem of illegal immigration is many faceted, and our approach to combating it must be as well. There is no single "quick fix" – but implementing a comprehensive strategy which addresses the root issues can and will work to provide both security and sanity to the border chaos. Fortunately, there are those taking steps to comprehensively solve this problem. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office in Arizona sponsored the Southwest Conference on Illegal Immigration, Border Security, and Crime last fall, which focused on resolving all of the problems, not just superficial sound bites. Here is what needs to be done:

1) The borders themselves are too easy to physically cross.

We must build a Gulf to Pacific double fence. In areas of highest crossing activity, this fence should be a wall. Observation towers should be erected at appropriate intervals, and in sparsely populated and rarely crossed regions – camera monitoring may be used. The fence should be periodically inspected for breaches, and repairs immediately effected. A program to "adopt a mile" can be instituted, where individuals can contribute a dollar amount to sponsor a mile of the fence to help with funding the project.

The Border Patrol must be effectively staffed. Hiring to attain a truly effective force must be done. The cost to do so is far outweighed by the costs of illegal immigration.

2) There are too many benefits for illegals once they arrive across the border.

We must eliminate automatic citizenship of children born of illegal aliens. There is presently legislation pending in congress to deny citizenship to kids born to parents not here legally. We should go a step further: A constitutional amendment should be enacted stating that citizenship is extended at birth only to the child of a mother who is a US citizen or legal permanent resident. A mother here legally on a temporary visa still should have no right to birth a citizen! One who is not legally in this country to begin with even less so. Citizenship should be constitutionally defined as one who is born in the US of a mother who is a US Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident, or as one who entered the country legally and becomes a naturalized citizen.

Government entitlements of any kind should be denied to anyone who is neither a citizen nor documented legal permanent resident. If someone is unable to support themselves here, and they're not even here legally, it is not the responsibility of the citizens of the United States to provide for them. If we are going to have an entitlement society, let's at least limit it to citizens and legal permanent residents!

The granting of visas must come under greater scrutiny. Tracking should be instituted to ensure they are not over-stayed. Granting of long term visas to people who will not ultimately be seeking citizenship should be more limited. The goal of our immigration policy should be to allow in MORE people who seek to become productive Americans, and fewer of those who want to simply take something from America.

We grant educational visas excessively. Space in our schools is being denied to citizens because those seats are occupied by those who will take our education, return to their nations of origin, and then take our jobs which get outsourced. Why are we educating the world, while our own educational level is sinking below the waterline?

Employers who hire illegal aliens should be severely penalized. The incentive to hire these low-wage workers should be offset by the fear of the consequences of getting caught. Americans can absorb the higher cost of goods more easily than they can absorb the illegals! Sufficient enforcement personnel must be hired to represent a genuine threat to those who would hire illegals for cheap labor. Further, a database should be publicly available on the web, listing those businesses which are found to flagrantly violate the law in their employing of illegals. The public should have the right to know, so they may knowledgably direct their dollars as they choose.

Forget "guest worker" programs. Quit cowtowing to the businesses who attract illegals by hiring them for cheap labor. Make them hire from the existing pool of American workers. Pay what the market demands. There are unemployed people (though less of them, thanks to the improving economy!) who, despite the liberal claim to the contrary, will do these jobs if not given to the near slave waged illegals.

Forget Amnesty. There should be no "statute of limitation" on illegality of residency! If one came here illegally, then as long as they are here, they are here illegally. If we find them, we should deport them. Immediately. Regardless of how long they've been here, what nice people they are, and how productive they've been. Why dishonor those who played by the rules and stood in line and endured the paperwork to come here legally by raising the white flag and legitimizing illegals who have managed to stay here illegally for some length of time? Those who ARE here illegally should live in fear of discovery and deportation.

The common language of the United States is English. It should be the official language as well. There should be a "wall of separation" between government and multi-lingualism! If you come here to stay, you should learn the language. We should not have to provide bilingual schools, street signs, food labels or anything else.

3) It is too difficult for well intentioned people to immigrate legally.

Steps must be taken to streamline the process of legal immigration. We should raise the number of immigrants permitted legally. We are indeed a nation which welcomes people of diverse national and cultural backgrounds. While curtailing border crashing, we should not permit the legal immigration process to be so encumbering as to make the illegal route seem more attractive.

Finally, the goal of our immigration policy should be to strengthen America with more ruggedly individualistic and diverse productive people. It is not our purpose to become nursemaid to an ever growing population of mouths on the government nipple. Therefore, a requirement of legal permanent resident status should be some marketable skill and either a rudimentary understanding of English, or having an English speaking citizen or legal resident sponsor who will take responsibility for the immigrant until such time as that immigrant can demonstrate a rudimentary understanding of English. In addition, all immigrants should be granted a 1 year visa only. At the end of the year they may apply for permanent residency – if they can show gainful employment and productivity. If they cannot, the visa would expire and the person would have to return to their country of origin, and re-apply to re-enter the US if they wish. The US welcomes new productive Americans. We should not, however, willingly play host to parasites.