The Biden administration will provide protection from deportation to 500,000 illegal immigrants. New “Parole” PolicyThis protection is available to people who have lived in the United States for at least 10 years and are married to a U.S. citizen who has not been convicted of a felony.
Republicans are suing to block it.They have portrayed the policy as an attempt to broaden the Democratic electorate at the expense of immigration enforcement. This is not an unfounded concern.
Similar political concerns have been raised about the Obama-era policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protects people who came to the US illegally as children from deportation once they become working-age adults.
To what extent is the debate on immigration hampered by concerns about future voting patterns? My guess is quite a bit.
Generally, many Republicans support deferred action for deportation for young immigrants as a matter of justice for children who arrived in the U.S. as babies and often have never known life outside of the U.S.
Similarly, for a party that prides itself on family-oriented values, the idea of forcibly separating undocumented parents from their spouses, children, relatives and communities is repugnant.
But Republicans oppose all of these measures because they appear to ignore the law in favor of blanket sympathy and, perhaps more worryingly, could bolster Democratic voters.
So how do we take the politics out of immigration policy? First, we can remove the fear that illegal immigration will affect voting rolls. Immigration laws should include a simple provisos: Anyone who enters the United States illegally is permanently barred from voting in any state or national election. They may obtain or be granted permanent resident status, but they will never be able to vote as full citizens.
The right to vote is a privilege. It is not a right for all residents. It makes sense to permanently strip all illegal immigrants of their right to vote, even newborns who have no intention of breaking the law. Stripping away future voting rights is simply a penalty for violating immigration law.
Republicans should defend the measure in exchange for legislative support for deferred action for young immigrants and “parole” for married couples. Democratic opposition would underscore concerns that Democrats are more interested in turning illegal immigrants into Democratic voters than in providing safe legal status to them.
The second reform Republicans should support is a new “work and come home” immigration policy, which is the single best way to end the current lawlessness at the border while also avoiding mass deportations.
The key to this policy is to recognize that most illegal immigrants want to return to their home countries from time to time to see their families and friends. Moreover, most want to show identification. They would like and would be happy to accept a work visa. However, currently, work visas are very difficult to obtain for low-skilled workers.
These two incentives need to be combined to create a process by which illegal immigrants who voluntarily leave the country can become regular workers.
In other words, immigration reform should include a generous work permit program that would allow Western Hemisphere citizens to enter the country and work for two to four years, as long as they have no criminal records.
During or after the expiration of this work permit, the applicant must return to his/her home country for at least six months. Once this minimum return residence requirement is met, the applicant will be eligible to obtain a new work return permit.
How does this apply to the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the US? First, they must register for a work permit when they leave the country, which starts the countdown to regaining residency in their home country. If an investigation into their work application shows they have no criminal history, they will be given a two- to four-year work visa upon their return.
Second, as noted above, none of these people are eligible to become citizens with the right to vote, a privilege they lost by entering the country illegally, but it may be a path to permanent residency.
Finally, increasing the number of legal workers increases tax sources, especially for Social Security and Medicare reserves. These working and returning workers should be required to contribute to Social Security and Medicare even though they are not eligible for these benefits. This can be considered an additional tax on the privilege of being legally employed in the United States. Furthermore, this provision is intended to eliminate any financial advantage employers may gain from hiring working and returning immigrants over U.S. citizens.
We believe these two proposals will help reduce partisan divisions over the most pressing immigration issues. The best, most fair and compassionate solutions will never be adopted as long as any party views solutions as rigging the ballot box.
This proposal takes politics out of the solution. It not only provides immigrants with a path through paperwork and legal proceedings, it restores the rule of law where it currently doesn’t exist. It also favors families, economies, and self-reliance.
David C. ReardonPh.D., DirectorElliott Instituteis a biomedical ethicist andMaking abortion rare: A strategy for healing a divided nation.“
