Many tell us what to think. I ask my readers to be skeptical. Question me and others. 
Again, Congress is acting like a comedy club where no one is laughing. One might hear moans of despair and teeth gnashing.
As long as the oldest Americans can remember, illegal immigration has been a problem in the United States. Americans sent men to the Moon and led the information technology development but could not figure out how to end illegal immigration. Other countries also have problems with uncontrolled migration, but nowhere is it a problem of such gravity as in the U.S.
American politicians and pundits talk about illegal immigration like it is a divine retribution, something humans cannot prevent. No one asks why it is a plague in the U.S. when it is a marginal problem elsewhere, like neighboring Canada. No one asks what the causes are. Everyone focuses on how to minimize it. Using a medical analogy, it is like prescribing painkillers instead of curing the cause of the pain. The differences between Democrats and Republicans are in which painkillers are better. None of them offers any scenario in which foreigners can try their good luck in America legally.
In its design, the purpose of impeachment is to remove individuals from the government due to “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Republicans do not question the honesty and personal integrity of Alejandro Mayorkas. They dislike that the current administration treats migrants trespassing the border in a more humanitarian way than the previous administration did. As the inflow of migrants has increased, Republicans claim that a gentler approach constitutes a crime justifying the impeachment.
The election politics are behind it. Republicans calculate that presenting the situation on the border as an invasion can give them back the White House in November. Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, created a political spectacle by “defending” the border and by sending buses with migrants to the sanctuary cities. The media and social media, with X in the lead, explore that migration extravaganza. Still, no one is asking why those caravans do not go to the border crossing in Arizona, California, or New Mexico, where there likely would be much less drama. But the show on the Texas part of the border plays well for Donald Trump’s election campaign.
On the other hand, the GOP rightfully points out that the current administration has no working concept of how to stop that border crisis. The Democrats can answer that Republicans do not have an idea, either. The GOP prefers stringent treatment of the border trespassers, but that does not discourage foreigners who try to get in. As a result, the only difference is that under the Republicans’ rule, more trespassers are hurt in the process — nothing to be proud of.
So, the question is whether the Democrats can win in that political game.
Alejandro Mayorkas should submit his resignation
President Biden should accept that resignation and ask Mayorkas to serve until a replacement is found.
Then, President Biden should humbly acknowledge that the current administration made mistakes in dealing with the border crisis and ask the Republicans to propose their candidate for the Mayorkas job. As there are obvious differences between both sides of the aisle on how to handle illegal immigration, let the House and Senate discuss the policy proposed by the Republican candidate. Then, President Biden will accept whatever the legislators agree to and appoint the Republican nominee to run the Department of Homeland Security.
A few things can happen. Legislators have not agreed on immigration policy since 1986, so there is a slim chance they will settle it now. Alejandro Mayorkas will still be on the job, but it will be the GOP’s fault.
It is less likely, but it could happen, that Republicans will convince legislators to be tough on the border. It will likely lower the number of trespassers, but there will be an outcry about the inhumane treatment. So, by November, Americans will have a choice: more inhumane treatment or more migrants.
Neither of those options is desirable.
Is there any hope for a reasonable immigration policy?
Slight. There is a slim chance that somewhere in the middle of that political circus, a voice of reason finally bubbles to the top.
No one asks why millions of people want to come to America. But everyone seems to know the answer: Those migrants want to take some wealth from Americans. That answer is wrong, but the fear is real. Most migrants want to advance financially by working in America. It means enriching Americans first and themselves in the process. Many would gladly return to their countries a few years later if the money made in America could help them escape the misery of helpless poverty. Those who prosper the most might settle in America for good. Either option is good for both Americans and the migrants. Americans do not understand that yet.
By the way, this is how immigration to America worked before the government screwed it up about a century ago. For the record, the politicians were trying to make it work better back then.
As a result, we have an Orwellian immigration policy that has no provisions for legal immigration. As that is blatant idiocy, we have a gazillion exceptions allowing some to obtain the status of a legal immigrant. It is a costly and lengthy process. About half of legal immigrants are so-called “status adjustment.” It means people already living in the United States, many of them without a legal status.
Therefore, with the current law, the most logical way to immigrate to the United States is to trespass the border and legalize those who stay, either later or never. Everyone in the caravans storming the border knows that. American politicians, mainstream media pundits, and X’s top influencers have not gotten it yet.
Why do we not have an immigration policy allowing everyone who can find a job in the U.S. to come and work as a guest worker? Those who stay for a prolonged time should earn the right to get a green card, leading to citizenship five years later. It would be a modern version of what made America great the first time around. Before, that is, politicians stuck their fingers into it.
I used pictures created by the AI program DALL·E. Descriptions from DALL·E.
