[dropcap color=”” boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”50%” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he problem is not an undocumented immigrant taking an American job or the criminal alien that is hiding behind the bush, waiting to kill you and your family. That is fear mongering, political rhetoric and pandering for your vote and political support. The real issue is money. Follow the dollar bills. There are literally multibillions, in tax free US dollars, being wire transferred across the border each year. It’s not just to Mexico. (see the GAO report, link below)
The solution is obvious. Congress must pass meaningful immigration reform, where undocumented persons can file for and seek some type of non-immigrant worker status or permanent lawful residency in the United States. They will apply in mass numbers. As a consequence of their residency, they will pay federal taxes and social security; their money stays in local economies; they buy houses, buy cars and local goods / services; they put their money in US banks.
The law has been longstanding, insofar that certain classes of aliens are “inadmissible” because of criminal convictions and prior removals. These classes of aliens will not be entitled any type of immigration benefits or status. As always, they immediately subject to removal (deportation) from the United States as well as criminal penalties for illegal re-entry.
The government should charge a surcharge or tax on foreign remittances. If you send cash across the border, you should get a 1099 or some type of statement at the end of year showing how much you sent. The wire transfer agent would send that same statement to the IRS. The individual would then pay a tax on those transfer(s) at the end of the year or at the time of the wire transfer. If you do not have a social security number, then you should not be able make a foreign cash remittance. One hand forces the other into immigration as well as tax compliance.
On the other hand, we could always attempt to just round up the millions of undocumented people, arrest them, detain them, give them their day in court and send them back to their native countries. We do not have the resources to accomplish this successfully. If the government could ever begin to accomplish this goal, the immigrants would return anyway, illegally. It’s like digging a hole in the sand, then a wave comes up and fills it up again. You can dig all day, but the hole isn’t going to last for long.
Look at the daily exchange rates for Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and the American Dollar. This speaks volumes. Again, follow the dollar bills. The lure of good paying jobs and a decent life is a strong motivation for illegal immigration. If you can’t feed yourself or your family, do you stay and die or click into survival mode. What is there to lose by coming to the United States, literally nothing. What is there to gain, literally everything. They will continue to come illegally, despite any wall you can build or any law you can pass.
We have to try fixing it the problem here, by bringing undocumented immigrants into some type of lawful status and changing financial regulations. The solution is seemingly simple and win win. The same old strategies, will likely bring about the same old same results.
Attorney Ron Tulin 813-717-9400 #AttorneyTulin #Abogado Tulin
Link to GAO report on foreign remittances. http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/675248.pdf
