IMHO..there are 3 ways to deal with this.
1) Every time we catch an illegal, they are summarily deported. However, that will never happen because supposedly illegals comprise nearly the entire bottom layer of the economy. If we were to get rid of them in short order, the country would grind to a halt. I don't know that this is entirely true, but I suspect it is not all that far fetched.
2) Give the illegals a drivers license. No. Just a plain bad idea. The day we start rewarding people, illegal or otherwise, for breaking the law we begin a downhill slide that will likely be unrecoverable. I realize some states like CA already reward illegals for breaking our immigration laws by giving them health care etc. BAD BAD NEWS! :BM:
3) Create a new status for these illegals and those who wish to come here for extended, yet not necessarily permanent stays. Call it a "Work Visa" that must be renewed every year. Incorporated in this "Work Visa" would be a tax id number so we can make certain these people pay taxes on the money they earn here. That is the biggest problem, illegals are a drain on the system because they don't pay taxes etc. and to exacerbate the situation they don't even spend much of the money they make, which would at least put it back into the economy. Instead they send it home to their families outside the US, so our economy loses twice over! The US government could set a date for all illegals in the country to come forward and get signed up for a "Work Visa" by a certain date, and anyone caught after that date would be deported immediately. Then they would have to renew this "Work Visa" every year, for a fee of course, and would also have a background check done as a prerequisite to renewal. If they got in any trouble during the previous year, SEE YA! [-X
I like number 3, however I think the "Work Visa" concept already exists, just not the way I would like it to work. :roll:
Ryan