Should we kick out all the Mexicans? (Part 3)

Here is another common argument against undocumented immigrants.

• "They should have waited in line just like all the other legal immigrants."  

Upon casual glance, nothing seems wrong with this argument.  Some liberals try to weasel their way out of this one and instead attempt to redirect focus onto the humanitarian problems associated with hunting down and deporting undocumented immigrants; however, I acknowledge that a person is in violation of federal immigration laws if he or she enters the U.S. without a visa.
  
Having said that, however, I will base my rebuttal on a policy-oriented view.  As it currently stands, there are two primary methods of immigrating to the United States:

• Family-based (~70%):  A direct or extended family member sponsors a foreign national.

• Employment-based (~30%):  An employer in the U.S. sponsors a foreign national because he or she has particular skill sets or provides certain services not found among the domestic population.    

Every year, Congress sets a quota on the number of visas that will be issued through the Department of State.  The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (i.e. USCIS, formerly known as the INS) is then supposed to process various paperwork and make sure that foreign nationals receive their visas in an orderly fashion from the DOS.  There are also temporary channels through which foreign nationals can enter, such as travel visas and guest worker programs.     

The last time I checked, it takes about 7-10 years or more for Chinese, Filipino, Indian, and Mexican nationals to enter the U.S. through family-based immigration.  Furthermore, officials from renown companies such as Google and Microsoft have complained during Congressional hearings because it takes approximately 2-5 years for a highly skilled immigrant (e.g. mathematicians, professors, software engineers, etc.) to receive his or her green card through employment-based immigration.     

Cost is another huge issue.  Because USCIS receives no appropriation from the federal budget, it funds its entire operation using the fees collected from immigrants.  There are also additional costs associated with employing an immigration attorney.  In my family's case---we're going through the employment-based immigration process---we've probably spent at least $10,000 hiring an attorney, getting our biometric data taken, and filing numerous paperwork.  I would be less annoyed if we actually received good customer service from the USCIS (we've been waiting for close to 4 years now); unfortunately, the agency seems overloaded.  The problem with bureaucracy is further compounded by the fact that multiple government organizations---including the Department of Labor, FBI, and Social Security Administration---must work together to process a given case.         

The factors outlined above, along with Mexico's geographic proximity to the U.S., poverty and unrest south of the border, and the abundance of American employers willing to hire undocumented workers in the black market, all imply that illegal immigration will not simply stop through enforcement measures alone.  

Most Americans simply have no clue how the current federal immigration system works because they were lucky and blessed enough to be born in the most prosperous nation in the world.  Some chauvinist Americans might retort that this is what it takes to live in America; however, they should not forget that the original purpose of the immigration system was to, first and foremost, benefit the U.S. (i.e. promote family values and enhance economic growth).

I sincerely hope that people will consider all angles before placing all the blame on the Latino community.  They are but one piece to a gigantic puzzle.  This is not a simple policy challenge that can be solved through the currently inadequate "catch and deport" strategy.

So what do we do?  I'll give some suggestions in a final entry to come...