Marco Rubio's Illegal Immigration Reform Plan

Amnesty, warns Michelle Malkin, "throws law-abiders under the bus." She's right. It's hard to see any substantive difference between (a) government giving citizenship (amnesty) to foreigners illegally taking citizenship benefits (welfare, education) from your country, and (b) government giving the TV to a guy illegally taking it from your living room.  Amnesty is a bitter pill to swallow for most conservatives since it seems to reward thieves rather than stop them. Been there, done that in the 1980s, and all we got for it was 4 times more thieves 4 decades later.

Senator Marco Rubio argues for a somewhat different plan in his article, Applying Conservative Principles to Immigration. First he proposes changes to "legal" immigration that are long overdue, among them decreasing the percentage of family-based legal immigrants (low-skill, poorly educated) and greatly increasing the percentage of skills-based legal immigrants (high-skill, well-educated); using readily-available technology to modernize and ensure effective enforcement mechanisms (visa monitoring, interception and tracking); and implementing a legal, functional guest worker program that works on a seasonal basis for both American farmers and foreign agricultural workers. All are obviously sensible and reasonable measures.

Sen. Rubio then addresses the "illegal" problem:

First, those who have violated our immigration laws must come forward and undergo a background check. If they have committed a serious crime, they will be deported. If they have not, they will have two choices. They can avail themselves of the current law which requires them to return to their native country, wait ten years and then apply for a green card. Or if they decide to remain in the United States, they will do so under the equivalent of a non-immigrant work permit by paying a substantial fine and back taxes. If they choose the non-immigrant work visa, they will not qualify for any federal benefits, including ObamaCare.

Those who choose the non-immigrant work permit will not be allowed to apply for a green card for a substantial period of time. And they will not be allowed to apply until the enforcement mechanisms outlined above are in place...

Rubio goes on to address specific concerns raised by conservatives. No doubt there will be a lot of discussion in the coming months. Rubio's article is a good place to start.