It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how to stop illegal immigration and we all know Houston has a lot of rocket scientists. Unfortunately, after decades of a broken immigration system there is no end in sight and no political will to end or at least curb illegal immigration. This lack of courage has resulted in inhumane treatment of immigrants legally entering the United States and posses of hillbillies patrolling the border. But there is a more effective way.

Elected officials are attacking this problem at the border when they should be focusing on why these illegal immigrants come to the United States in the first place, to make money. Those entering the US at the port of entry seeking asylum from violence in their own country must surrender at the border and submit to a long, broken process. Allowing immigrants to legally enter our country is governed by an international treaty which the United States signed back in 1951. This process must be fixed, or else elected officials will continue to abuse those seeking help from their fellow human beings. 

Those entering the country illegally or those who enter on a work VISA but overstay are here to make a living. Many cross the border knowing they have someone, a family member, or a friend, already in the country and have a possibility of being hired by a homebuilder, restaurant owner, or other business. Once in the country and employed these immigrants will lay low, stay out of trouble, blend in, do their job and make money. Their employees reap the benefits of their hard work and skills while looking the other way when calls for immigration reform are being made.

Business owners across the State have called for comprehensive immigration reform, many signing to an op-ed in August 2006, titled “Pass Immigration Reform”. Those signing this op-ed included home builders, restaurant owners, car dealers, chicken processor owners and others. This call fell on deaf ears and for good reason. Immigration has been used as a campaign issue for decades. There is no political will to solve this problem by the elected officials these business owners contribute to because it’s what they campaign on to be re-elected. So, it is up to others to solve this. Here is a snippet of their op-ed:

Think for a minute about one Texas sector that relies heavily on immigrant workers: construction. A typical Texasconstruction worker earns more than $50,000 a year if he regularly works overtime. Employers say they do everythingthey can to attract native-born workers. But few young Americans want to do hard physical labor, particularly in ourclimate. And in the less-skilled construction trades — masonry, concrete, drywall, tile — more than 80 percent of Texas’workforce is Latino.

Instead of attacking this problem at the border take the fight to those who have enticed these immigrants to come and stay here. Maybe the hillbilly posses should dress up like GI Joe and walk the streets of the new home builder construction sites looking for the illegal immigrants the builders have hired, providing jobs that are being taken away from hard working Americans. Simply focusing on one homebuilder that has political clout could bring their construction to a halt until the builder demands immigration reform. In Texas walking the streets with loaded assault weapons dressed like immigration enforcement is legal and would get the attention of those who are here illegally, those who are laying low, staying out of trouble, blending in, doing their job, and making money.

This process would make it easy for self-proclaimed immigration officials to monitor home builders, restaurant owners, car dealers, and chicken processor owners right in the comfort of their own neighborhoods. There will be no need to travel to the border and spend money on housing and food when they could simply go home after a day of work monitoring their local homebuilder, protecting America, and looking for illegal workers.

It’s a win-win for everyone. /sarcasm