A Winning Immigration Reform for Kamala Harris to Publicize Immediately
Kamala Harris needs to propose her own immigration reform immediately, making clear that as vice president she could not make or change Biden’s policies, she could only follow his orders. Now, as a presidential candidate, she can propose her own policies. The immigration policy she would implement is innovative and would be very effective. It would produce immediate results as far as eliminating the migrant crisis at our borders, while adopting measures to gradually eliminate the urgent desire of many Central Americans to immigrate to the United States.
The first step, with immediate effect (since made by executive order pending legislation), would be to require all asylum applications to be made exclusively at U.S. consulates in the country of residence (or some other country if necessary), never at our borders. Tourist and work visa applications are required to be made exclusively at our consulates in the country of residence, never at our borders, and so should asylum applications, with the provision that if the country of residence makes access to the U.S. consulate difficult, then the asylum applications can be made in another country.
Kamala should ask President Biden to immediately issue his own executive order given the national emergency we are facing. If Biden agreed, as he most probably would, the results would be instantaneous, as all migrants would stop trying to enter our country without asylum papers, particularly if the reform provided that entering the USA illegally would mean immediate deportation and preclude applying for asylum, tourist or work visas for a minimum of 10 years. The illegal immigration crisis would end overnight. This administrative reform regarding where asylum applications must be made, not only would have immediate effect, it would cost nothing.
Kamala would then have a dramatic policy success, ending the border crisis weeks before the election. That would lead to an immediate surge in her popularity and in the confidence of most voters, and probably lead to her winning the presidential election in a landslide.
She should accompany the administrative reform (requiring only a presidential executive order) by proposing legislation to complete The Wall, while making the point that Trump had four years to do it, but was incapable of doing so, showing total incompetence. She should publicly challenge him to answer why he didn’t finish The Wall, since he thinks he’s so great.
Kamala should also propose a major Peace Corps effort for the underdeveloped Central American nations, focused on creating a string of American public schools with an excellent curriculum and excellent teachers. That would be addressing the major problem, a deficient education, which is the cause of poverty and the urge to emigrate. The Peace Corps effort would of course require legislation, but it should pass since it would also greatly benefit the United States. Many Americans would probably want to be involved career-wise with a prestigious, well-paid Peace Corps program; our image in Latin America would be greatly enhanced; and increasing prosperity in Central America would lead to sharply higher trade with the U.S. and higher economic growth for both.
Kamala must admit that the Biden Administration failed to solve the illegal immigration crisis, while saying she now has the solution thanks to good outside advice, and can prove it with immediate results.
© Edward Sonnino 2024
