[Mazer]

No flames knife, you're on the right track but you're missing the point.

Citizen immigrants are the primary source of American patriotism because they are Americans by choice and they pass that enthusiasm on to their children. The problem isn't that people are sneaking into America, it's the attitude they're bringing with them. Illegal immigrants don't come here for citizenship, they don't necessarily want to be put on a path towards citizenship and giving them amnesty does nothing to make them want to assimilate. All they really want is to be able to stay here where the money is, so to them amnesty is just a form of political asylum or sanctuary. I have a big problem with that attitude and so do most Americans.

Illegals represent a threat to our sovereignty on a fundamental level. We're a nation of laws and we're united because we abide by those laws. Our law states that only citizens can stay here permanently and only citizens can vote, and illegals seek to break both those laws. If we allow that then are we still a nation of laws? No, not really. We're importing a new kind of racism, we're giving rise to a group of people to whom citizenship means nothing and yet they feel entitled to all the benefits citizenship grants. They call themselves La Raza, they feel they transcend all borders, and when they run afoul of the law they head down south where law enforcement can't reach them. They have about as much respect for our sovereignty as drug smugglers and terrorist groups.

So here's my take on your plan: Seal the borders? Absolutely. Anybody who is already here gets to stay? Change that to "anybody who is already here must stay" and I'd agree; the border should be sealed in both directions to prevent fugitives from escaping. Prosecute employers of illegal immigrants? Yes. Free health care and education for minor children of illegals? Only if they are taught in English (absolutely no bilingual classes) and they learn all about American history; just because they didn't choose to come here doesn't mean they shouldn't have to assimilate into our culture. These four things are inadequate though. Like albed says we need to remove the incentives for illegal immigration.