Marshall Fitz on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Why is mass deportation a bad strategy?

Opponents of immigration reform argue that all we need to do to fix our broken immigration system is enforce the laws that are already on the books and deport the illegal immigrants that area already here in the country. We spend today around $17 billion a year trying to do just that. And yet, our immigration system is as dysfunctional as it's ever been. The strategy to deport 11 million illegal immigrants who are already here in the United States would devastate families, businesses, and communities across the country. A recent study by the Center for American Progress shows that the direct immigration enforcement costs of a mass deportation policy would be $285 billion dollars. That's $922 tax dollars for every man, woman, and child in this country. What's more, it would have a crippling impact on the nation's economic growth. Another recent study by the Center for American Progress shows that it would create an accumulative loss to GDP of $2.6 trillion over a 10-year period.

What should we do instead to fix the broken immigration system?

We have a tough, fair, and practical solution that would end illegal immigration. It's one that is widely supported by the American public. We call it comprehensive immigration reform. It would strengthen our borders, it would crack down on dishonest employers who are undercutting the wages and working conditions of all U.S. workers. It would require illegal immigrants to register, pass background checks, pay taxes, learn English, and go to the back of the line. And it would reform our legal immigration channels so that families don't have to wait decades to be united, so that employers and businesses can prosper, so that U.S. workers are competing on an even playing field, and so that workers who are simply trying to come and build a better life for themselves aren't dying in the desert.

What are the benefits of adopting a more comprehensive reform approach?

A comprehensive approach to fixing our broken immigration system would restore the rule of law, it would grow our economy, and would create the foundations for lasting economic prosperity. In short, it would be good for all Americans. It would be good for honest employers and U.S. workers who'd be able to compete on a level playing field. It will reunite families who have been separated for decades. And the comprehensive approach that legalizes the current illegal workforce and creates a new flexible legal immigration system will add $1.5 trillion in cumulative GDP over 10 years.