How to Stop Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration is an enormous problem for the United States, and one that is growing, with nine to eleven million illegal aliens currently estimated to be in the U.S. While most efforts to halt illegal immigration have focused on our southern land border, the difficulties are spread throughout the immigration system. Spotty or haphazard efforts to end illegal immigration cannot succeed.

In order to compose an overall, cohesive plan, FAIR sponsored an experts' study that resulted in the report Ten Steps to Ending Illegal Immigration. It is important to realize that the proposals outlined below are not separate, but are interdependent parts of an overall plan to end illegal immigration--a plan that can succeed. The following are the key recommendations.

The loopholes that facilitate illegal immigration must be closed.

We need to:

• use expeditious exclusion of fraudulent entrants at airports;
• limit the Attorney General's excess authority to parole aliens into the country;
• cap the number of asylum grantees;
• reinstitute authority for the Border Patrol to conduct open-field searches;
• stop seventy-two-hour deportation notices (known as "run letters");
• eliminate legalistic delaying tactics in immigration hearings;
• eliminate the visa waiver program.

Incentives for illegal immigration must be eliminated.

We need to:

• stop giving citizenship to the children of illegal aliens and foreign visitors;
• withhold work authorization to those with pending asylum claims;
• establish a universal system for checking welfare and work eligibility;
• end all public benefits for illegal aliens.

The penalties for violating immigration law must be increased.

We need to:

• bar from later immigration those who make frivolous asylum applications and 'no-shows';
• make alien smuggling and document fraud into racketeering crimes;
• bar reentry to any alien receiving a five-year prison sentence;
• withhold funds from localities that refuse to cooperate with efforts to end illegal immigration;
• hold sponsors accountable for immigrants they sponsor;
• deport immigrants who become public charges.

Existing programs that are particularly effective must be expanded.

We need to:

• widen use of pre-inspection programs abroad and frequent-traveler inspection procedures;
• extend the Border Patrol canine program and highway checkpoint system;
• expand the institutional hearing program and the special U.S. Attorneys program;
• increase interior repatriation and deportation hearings of criminal aliens by telephone;
• broaden the assets seizure program.

Government agencies must coordinate their efforts better and more extensively.

We need to:

• improve coordination between border agencies and between intelligence agencies;
• limit judicial review of immigration decisions and expand judicial deportation;
• give the National Security Council a role in ending illegal immigration;
• combine the immigration service (INS) work form with the IRS work form;
• speed notification to INS of jailed aliens, including certified records of conviction.

A greater investment must be made in the personnel who combat illegal immigration.

We need to:

• increase personnel in Inspections, Intelligence, Border Patrol, and Detention and Deportation;
• reduce temporary employees in INS Inspections and increase the permanent staff;
• dedicate investigators to work solely on employment of illegal aliens;
• expand on-going training programs for inspectors, intelligence officers, and investigators;
• establish systematic performance reviews of immigration judges.

Top-of-the-line equipment must be available to the enforcers of immigration law.

We need to:

• provide a facility for INS classified information;
• establish equipment plans for INS Intelligence, the Border Patrol, and Investigations;
• improve vehicle fleets of the Border Patrol, Investigations, and Detention and Deportation;
• create a centralized case database for INS Investigations.

New technology must be harnessed to the battle against illegal immigration.

We need to:

• introduce new, up-to-date technology in Inspections, the Border Patrol, and Investigations;
• create a secure intelligence database and distribution system;
• set up a verification system for welfare and work eligibility.

Updated 6/03