[PBO]

Interesting discussion! I know emotions run high on the issue...Australia has similar ongoing concerns about illegal migration, I believe nearly every country or nation does...well except for Antarctica. Australia has chosen a slightly softer path in dealing with residents who are the equivalent to US green card holders. My wife is one & she doesn't need to carry any proof of visa status on her, the records are there if required - she pays taxes, doesn't commit crime - why should she need to prove that she is a resident...she is innocent until proven guilty

The French have a migrant policy similar to the US whereby non citizens must carry & produce their papers on demand. This has led the significant civil unrest, especially among the younger generations, many of whom were born in the country. You can't say to them "if you don't like it leave!", where would they go? what choices do they have? What do you do if the country they were born in, live & work in, pay taxes in won't make you are citizen. You are effectively a second class 'citizen'. Granted the US is different but there are many similarities between US & French residents. The US needs to make a choice one way or the other; move in the direction that's popular here & tighten up borders, restrict internal movement of residents, restrict Govt financial support etc OR better manage the human resource to effectively improve the country for all. If you look at the problem with a more rational perspective, it would probably be more efficient to manage the never ending stream of hopeful immigrants rather than attempt to turn the flow off. They will never stop trying after all & you can’t blame immigration laws for all the problems a country might have

Jerry, not to nitpick but the US doesn’t allow 30 day access. US border control is tightly controlled with ESTA & only certain countries have an ESTA agreement that allows certain passport holders the right to different conditions. And point itself adds weight to the notion that you can only really stop the honest people, those who are determined will side step the rules & regulations. Look at the US prison system, how would a prisoner import drugs into those high security places??? I don’t have a clue but I’ll bet they do & often…very hard to stop a determined person. It’s a big, complex problem that won’t be solved with simple solutions