What would you support in terms of immigration reform?

[PragmaticPopulist]

I think most agree that our immigration system is broken, but we have different ideas of how to fix it. Some conservatives I've spoken to seem unwilling to compromise on anything because they think all immigrants will be Democratic voters. I dispute this, and think that Republicans can compete for votes of immigrants if they just reach out to them the right way. To start off, here's a couple things I think most on the left can get on-board with:

-Better border security, as in tech etc.
-Assimilation programs
-Streamline the legal immigration process
-Prioritize deportation of violent undocumented immigrants
-Deport undocumented migrants who have only been in the country for a number of days/weeks. Migrants who have been here for years should be given a notice to go through the legal process and if they don't by a certain date, they will be deported.
-Ensure the deportation process is humane. No one dies while in ICE custody and treat them like people, not animals.

[Former President tack50]

While I am on the left, immigration is arguably one of the issues where I lean more conservative though I would agree on all of those proposals

The only one I'd debate is maybe the exact specifics on when to deport illegal immigrants, on basically 3 points:

1) Lone illegal immigrants, especially those who are unemployed or have under the table jobs should be deported regardless of how long they've been in the country (or with a big cutoff like say 15 years before they are "safe"). Though still priorizing recent arrivals and not kicking anyone who has a stable job or who has a family

2) Deport immigrants who have commited non-violent crimes if the crime is still severe enough and/or they are repeat offenders (mostly scammers or non-violent thieves)

3) This one is much iffier, but maybe some process to deport legal immigrants who commit violent crimes but are not citizens (say, a murderer or rapist)

Though of course these are all specific proposals and they would not really be red lines for me (especially 2 or 3). It would be just about discussing the details more than anything else. Everything else I agree with 100%

Another proposal could be to tie the legal immigration cap to the unemployment rate, so that immigration falls when unemployment is high but it rises when unemployment is low.

[Ferguson97]

Undocumented immigrants who have not committed a violent crime should be given citizenship. Those who have committed violent crimes should be prosecuted and either deported or given an opportunity to earn citizenship after the completion of their sentence and probation, depending on the severity of the crime.

We should loosen immigration restrictions so that those who come here legally can earn their citizenship more quickly. I have a friend who has been trying to become a citizen for 5+ years. That's ridiculous. It should be far easier to become a citizen.

I want reparations for everyone who is in the border camps. Set up a Family Reunification Division in the Department of Homeland Security. Anyone who has been separated needs to be reunited and compensated immediately.

Abolish ICE, and prosecute those who committed crimes against undocumented individuals (rape, assault, torture) to the fullest extent of the law.

[brucejoel99]

Somebody already did my homework for me:

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/294085-senates-gang-of-eight-reveals-details-of-immigration-plan

1. Border security enhancements paired with an incremental-but-sane path to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants;
2. A revised visa program to fix the ridiculous & broken current system, and fast-tracks for the most important visa seekers;
3. E-verify; &
4. Additional visa options for agricultural & low-skilled workers.

[PragmaticPopulist]

Forgot to post this earlier, but I think another good compromise is to make employers pay migrant workers the same as native workers. That way, there's no problem with job competition or drving down wages.

[RINO Tom]

One-time amnesty for non-criminal immigrants (excluding the crime of coming here illegally), secure border and enforce current immigration standards from here on out.

[Frodo]

Early days, but it is good to see no one here has (yet) made completing Trump's border wall/fence their line-in-the-sand. 

[Coolface Sock #42069]

One-time amnesty for non-criminal immigrants (excluding the crime of coming here illegally), secure border and enforce current immigration standards from here on out.

I agree as long as there is a provision that does not allow amnesty or legal status until we have:

1. Operational control over the border
2. A way to prevent visa overstays

[Nightcore Nationalist]

I agree with most of what OP and Tack50 said.  I'd like to see nationwide E-Verify too

[Senator Incitatus]

Net zero migration.

[Ferguson97]

Open borders

[Big Abraham]

Open borders

HP Koch brothers proposal

[Dr. MB]

mostly open borders, reduce the amount of unnecessary security on the borders (especially the Canadian border), end the guest worker program and ensure fair wages for all workers in the USA regardless of immigration status

[Ferguson97]

Open borders

HP Koch brothers proposal

Meme response. Why is it bad other than muh Kochs? I don’t care what bad intentions they have, why is it bad on its own merit?

[Big Abraham]

Open borders

HP Koch brothers proposal

Meme response. Why is it bad other than muh Kochs? I don’t care what bad intentions they have, why is it bad on its own merit?

It would introduce untold amount of unskilled immigrants into the United States which depresses the wages and manual labor sector for Americans making, in turn, native Americans much poorer. The poorest quartile, who already have seen stagnant incomes and little to no job growth, would further decline. This is what people mean when they talk about the "winners" and "losers" of globalization.

Actual unemployment in this country is 20%. You think we should open the borders and bring in a lot of low-wage workers, or do you think maybe we should try to get jobs for these people?

There's a way to address problems of international poverty that doesn't include making everybody in this country poorer

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Eliminate the annual cap on visas.

It's time for growth, growth, growth!

[Former President tack50]

Open borders

HP Koch brothers proposal

Meme response. Why is it bad other than muh Kochs? I don’t care what bad intentions they have, why is it bad on its own merit?

It would introduce untold amount of unskilled immigrants into the United States which depresses the wages and manual labor sector for Americans making, in turn, native Americans much poorer. The poorest quartile, who already have seen stagnant incomes and little to no job growth, would further decline. This is what people mean when they talk about the "winners" and "losers" of globalization.

Actual unemployment in this country is 20%. You think we should open the borders and bring in a lot of low-wage workers, or do you think maybe we should try to get jobs for these people?

There's a way to address problems of international poverty that doesn't include making everybody in this country poorer

While I agree with the argument here, how do you get to the datapoint that unemployment in the US is 20%?

Going by pre-COVID data, even U-6 unemployment was at 7% and even now it is only at 13%. Where do you get the remaining 7%?

[Senator Incitatus]

While I agree with the argument here, how do you get to the datapoint that unemployment in the US is 20%?

Going by pre-COVID data, was at 7% and even now it is only at 13%. Where do you get the remaining 7%?

Probably LFPR plus retirees.

[Ferguson97]

Open borders

HP Koch brothers proposal

Meme response. Why is it bad other than muh Kochs? I don’t care what bad intentions they have, why is it bad on its own merit?

It would introduce untold amount of unskilled immigrants into the United States which depresses the wages and manual labor sector for Americans making, in turn, native Americans much poorer. The poorest quartile, who already have seen stagnant incomes and little to no job growth, would further decline. This is what people mean when they talk about the "winners" and "losers" of globalization.

Actual unemployment in this country is 20%. You think we should open the borders and bring in a lot of low-wage workers, or do you think maybe we should try to get jobs for these people?

There's a way to address problems of international poverty that doesn't include making everybody in this country poorer

This is based on a lot of incorrect assumptions.

Immigration has a net positive on the economy and actually tends to create more jobs than it "takes" - I also reject the nativist notion that native-born Americans are more entitled to jobs than immigrants.

Specific industries in the short run? Sure, you're going to see a bit of a decline.

Overall economy in the medium-long term? It has numerous benefits.

“In a much broader sense, immigration is an investment. It's not a handout. It's not just a cost. Like any investment, it can have up-front costs. But like any good investment, the long-term benefits enormously exceed those costs.” - Michael Clemens

[Big Abraham]

Open borders

HP Koch brothers proposal

Meme response. Why is it bad other than muh Kochs? I don’t care what bad intentions they have, why is it bad on its own merit?

It would introduce untold amount of unskilled immigrants into the United States which depresses the wages and manual labor sector for Americans making, in turn, native Americans much poorer. The poorest quartile, who already have seen stagnant incomes and little to no job growth, would further decline. This is what people mean when they talk about the "winners" and "losers" of globalization.

Actual unemployment in this country is 20%. You think we should open the borders and bring in a lot of low-wage workers, or do you think maybe we should try to get jobs for these people?

There's a way to address problems of international poverty that doesn't include making everybody in this country poorer

While I agree with the argument here, how do you get to the datapoint that unemployment in the US is 20%?

Going by pre-COVID data, even U-6 unemployment was at 7% and even now it is only at 13%. Where do you get the remaining 7%?

The official unemployment rate is only 10.2%, however that when you take into account the fact that number of people receiving unemployment is more like 30 million, which I would take to be a truer measure of how many lack work, that puts the figure at 18.8% unemployment. Many people have also been classified as being "temporarily laid off" rather than unemployment, which keeps the "official" figure lower.

But even just assume the real unemployment rate is only 10.2%. That's still worse than the nadir of the Great Recession, job growth has significantly slowed (and will slow further without any stimulus payments), and of course there is great disparity among demographics: for adult women it's officially 10.5%, among blacks 14.6%, etc. When means the more accurate adjusted numbers would be even higher for all these groups

[Big Abraham]

Open borders

HP Koch brothers proposal

Meme response. Why is it bad other than muh Kochs? I don’t care what bad intentions they have, why is it bad on its own merit?

It would introduce untold amount of unskilled immigrants into the United States which depresses the wages and manual labor sector for Americans making, in turn, native Americans much poorer. The poorest quartile, who already have seen stagnant incomes and little to no job growth, would further decline. This is what people mean when they talk about the "winners" and "losers" of globalization.

Actual unemployment in this country is 20%. You think we should open the borders and bring in a lot of low-wage workers, or do you think maybe we should try to get jobs for these people?

There's a way to address problems of international poverty that doesn't include making everybody in this country poorer

This is based on a lot of incorrect assumptions.

Immigration has a net positive on the economy and actually tends to create more jobs than it "takes" - I also reject the nativist notion that native-born Americans are more entitled to jobs than immigrants.

Specific industries in the short run? Sure, you're going to see a bit of a decline.

Overall economy in the medium-long term? It has numerous benefits.

“In a much broader sense, immigration is an investment. It's not a handout. It's not just a cost. Like any investment, it can have up-front costs. But like any good investment, the long-term benefits enormously exceed those costs.” - Michael Clemens

The first duty of any government is to provide first and foremost for its citizenry; therefore, the United States should not adopt policies which puts its own "native" laborers in further job insecurity and lowering wages in favor of businesses employing cheap labor from overseas. No one is saying that foreign workers are less entitled to a job, but that doesn't mean they should have the unadulterated right to find employment here.

The "net positive" on the economy is mainly in the form of national GDP growth, which is obviously not evenly distributed among the workforce. Immigration is great for industry leaders, the upper middle class, and the immigrants themselves. For the working and lower middle classes, it is a net loss, which is one of the reasons why the manufacturing sector of this country (which used to be the main source of middle class wealth) has taken a large toll since Hart–Celler. It's also not just "specific" industries; in pretty much all working-class and even many financial/tech jobs we see similar results.

[Former President tack50]

The official unemployment rate is only 10.2%, however that when you take into account the fact that number of people receiving unemployment is more like 30 million, which I would take to be a truer measure of how many lack work, that puts the figure at 18.8% unemployment. Many people have also been classified as being "temporarily laid off" rather than unemployment, which keeps the "official" figure lower.

But even just assume the real unemployment rate is only 10.2%. That's still worse than the nadir of the Great Recession, job growth has significantly slowed (and will slow further without any stimulus payments), and of course there is great disparity among demographics: for adult women it's officially 10.5%, among blacks 14.6%, etc. When means the more accurate adjusted numbers would be even higher for all these groups

Maybe you've missed it, but a big pandemic hit everywhere this year

That is why there are so many people on unemployment, but it is supposed to be temporary. I think the 10.2% figure is a more realistic one.

[Chips]

The only way to stop mass-immigration into the US is to look at our interventions in the region and fix them. They've generally done more harm than good to those citizens. We imposed harsh sanctions on Venezuela to try to force concessions from Maduro but ended up starving the Venezuelan citizens in the process. This won't completely stop illegal immigration but looking at our history of interventions in the region and getting out of there/try to make amends would go a long way to solve the migrant crisis both here and elsewhere in the world.

[Damocles]

Undocumented immigrants who lack a criminal record should be made to register in order to acquire residency status in the US. From there, they can be given ITINs and other regulatory necessities, in order to register with the IRS and start paying US income taxes.

These new legal residents should be given active suffrage at the municipal level if their visa lasts for more than 1 year. They should not have the right to stand for election at any level.

Processing manpower for visa applications should scale proportionally with the number of visa applications received from each country of origin, in an effort to clear the 20+ year backlog on such visas that motivate the drive to break the law in the first place.

Employers who fail to aid the registration of their undocumented workforce may be fined, and if egregious violations occur, the attorney-general should seek to legally dissolve their registration and liquidate the employer’s assets.

Just for a start, I’ll expand on this later

[Damocles]

By getting the undocumented immigrants registered with the IRS and be subject to labor protections by the US Department of Labor (such as compensation, working hours, etc.), it actually makes these formerly undocumented immigrants *less competitive* relative to native-born workers. Since it becomes relatively more expensive to hire foreign labor (accounting for visas and other administrative overhead), the employer would be incentivized to prefer domestic labor. And if the wages offered aren’t high enough to get enough native-born laborers, they can always raise the wages.

And this isn’t a bad thing. When there’s more money available at the bottom of the pyramid, people are more likely to increase their level of consumption through spending, thus providing local economic growth. More customers able to buy goods and hire services increases demand, which increases business opportunities, which increases new business, which means more labor is required.