Immigration policy is a mess. We've heard the arguments on both sides. What if the nation were to take a business approach? First, we would have to get an idea of how many immigrants annually make sense both in terms of labor needs and moral issues. Then give those who want to move here permanently a chance to commit to paying a fee for the privilege. The amount of the fee to be determined by a market mechanism based on an acceptable number of immigrants and how much someone would be willing to pay. A similar system with a lower fee could be used for temporary workers.
Of course, the system would need to build in a payment plan to be fair. You can't saddle poor people with a prohibitive tax. But it is fair to ask those who want to live here, and who plan to take advantage of American schools and medical care, to make a financial commitment as a component of the life commitment of moving to the US. Revenue raised would be used to support these immigrants in becoming Americans, and to restrict entry to those unwilling to make such a commitment. This plan gives would-be immigrants a real choice and a real opportunity. It would need good record keeping, might require different categories for PhD's vs. laborers, and would involve many parties in working out the details. But commitment is a powerful force, and those who make such a commitment in a measurable way are more likely to be successful.
Such a system would be neither heartless and cruel nor overly lax. It would offer some financial support to the communities that are paying for a flood of immigrants and give all would-be Americans the same chance. It would be a dispassionate, characteristically American solution to this thorny political problem.
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The general concept of formalizing immigrant participation in society seems sensible but one of the main motivations for using immigrant labor is that they work at wages that are lower than acceptable to the average citizen. In effect they are undercutting the general labor market by living in overcrowded housing and subsisting at a lower standard of living than is generally acceptable. This should be taken into account when making these arrangements.
This idea sounds good but would be a nightmare to impliment. If you look at my suggestion regarding a 50% TAX on all money sent to Mexico, you get basically the same result. By taxing the money that goes out heavily, you cover the expenses of the illegal immigrants, AND you give those people a choice of whether it is worth it or not to come to the US in the first place. As of Sand's comment that they live at a "lower standard of living", whatever that standard is is WAY ABOVE what it was where they came from! Running water and toilets are a start. Sand obviously has no idea how these illegal immigrants live and why it is they choose to come here to work for low wages. Because those "low wages" are 10 times what they would earn back home for double the effort!
Since we cannot keep them out, given that we as a country have tried forever to do so with no success (nobody wants to shoot on sight at the boarder), then making it unattractive for them to come "use" the system is another approach. For example, if you become a member of a gym, you pay in, and then pay a small amount per month and receive an identification card. If you want to use the gym "once" you can do so for a heftier amount. This is worth it to somebody who wants to work-out in an out of town location, etc. Why not use the symmetry principle and apply that to immigartion? If you want to go about the legal citizenship route, you "pay in" and pay your taxes and follow the rules. If not, then you pay a 50% TAX on any money you chooose to send back home. When the money stays here, it benefits the US, and increases the illegal immigrant's standard of living.
I know people who make well over $3,000 per month, yet choose to live in an apartment with 4 other people, not have a car or insurance, because they have to send $2,000 per month back home to feed their croud. If the US passed a 50% TAX law, then these very people would not feel guilty for not sending the money, and would have a third party excuse to not send anymore and make their own lives better. We can then put them on track to integrate into the US system and becomes active, legal members of this society.
Think about it.
Just keep in mind that all efforts to keep the alien workers out also damages the US economy that depends upon their labor. Punishing them is a two edged sword.