Immigration Refrom

I am not a politician. However, I think I have come up with a pretty decent solution to the immigration problem. And no, it does not include arresting anyone who "looks illegal".

I think the most practical and reasonable solution is to have a registration program. Yes, registered illegal aliens. These registered aliens would be able to get jobs, and would have to pay taxes just like everyone else.  They would also have to pay an additional "illegal" fee with every paycheck. This fee would be minimal, not more than $5. Then, after a set number of years (5, perhaps 10) the person would be allowed to apply for citizenship. While they are registered aliens, they would only be eligible for select social services programs (public school, emergency room care, etc). If they break any law during their "probation" period, they will be deported.

This is a practical solution because it is a good compromise. deporting every illegal immigrant is just not feasible. But at the other end, granting amenisty is not a good solution either. With my plan, the people who committed a crime do have to pay for what they did, and the government will make millions of dollars in revenue as a result.

Obviously, the second half of the plan involves tougher restrictions for companies that hire unregistered illegal workers, and tighter security at the border. Without these safeguards in place, we would have to face the same problem in a couple of years.

I know the plan isn't perfect, and I haven't thought out any of the details, but it is better than any other plan that I've heard.