Issue Position: Immigration

Issue Position

THE CARGILE PLAN

SYNOPSIS: Upon completion of the wall, all non-citizens residing within the continental United States will have a 3 year period to begin filing for citizenship. Every available Federal resource will be allocated to expediting this process. This will be a ONE TIME offer. If you fail to begin the process within that 3 year period, you missed out on this opportunity. If you are a convicted felon and have abused your time in the United States, this offer is not available to you. However, if you have lived and worked in the United States, paid your taxes and obeyed our laws, you will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to become a citizen of the United States.

THE DETAILS: My approach to immigration is rooted in two things: the Bible and the Law. Almost every issue plaguing our country at this moment can be solved with the simple Biblical principle "Treat others the way you want to be treated." If I had been born in another country and saw what the United States offered in terms of freedom and opportunity, I would have done everything in my power to get here and make that available for myself and my family.

But, rather than deal with immigration strictly through immigration laws, we should view the issue at hand as a contract…an unwritten contract. And as such, we should employ the idea of "detrimental reliance" to prove the nature of the agreement. For decades, there has been an unwritten agreement between the United States and the rest of the world that if you can just get here and assimilate into the fabric of our society, we will not enforce our immigration laws against you. How do we know this agreement exists? By the simple fact that millions and millions of illegal immigrants uprooted their families, came here and did just that!

But now, we're changing the terms of the agreement. With the building of the wall, we're telling the world that we're operating under a new agreement. From this time forward, we will enforce our immigration laws and you must use our designated ports of entry to enter into the United States. So where does this leave those who relied on the old agreement? Enter… The Cargile Plan.

First, we complete the wall. It is our number one defense against drugs and human trafficking and it is an essential element of our National defense. Additionally, it has been a high priority request by law enforcement at all levels for years. During this time of construction we begin re-allocating all available Federal resources for expediting a citizenship process for those who are physically residing in the United States. This will be a one-time event and a one-time opportunity for our Nation to close this chapter of our history.

Upon completion of the wall, the clock starts. We set three years as the time period for anyone who is here illegally to begin filing for citizenship. If you fail to begin the process within that 3 year period, you missed out on this opportunity. If you are a convicted felon and have abused your time in the United States, this offer is not available to you. However, if you have lived and worked in the United States, paid your taxes and obeyed our laws, you will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to become a United States citizen. You still have to take the test and you have to pass, but we will expedite the process and reduce the cost to $50. Citizenship is like a marriage where divorce is not an option. Upon becoming a citizen, you will "forsake all others, until death do you part". The United States is now your home, the Stars and Strips is the flag of your allegiance and your oath is to the Constitution, not a political party or a person.

But Mike, this isn't fair to those who did things the right way! And I would say "You are right!" This isn't fair to those who did things legally and legitimately. However, we as a Nation, can continue down this road, spending literally HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS per year on illegal immigration (the cost of which is also born by these new citizens who "did it right") or we choose to forgive the misdemeanor infraction of illegally entering the United States this one time and fix the problem ONCE AND FOR ALL. The theme of the Bible is God's forgiveness of wrongdoing. I'm asking my Country, just this one time, in the interest of peace and justice, to pardon the trespass and extend conditional mercy to these individuals. Additionally, as stated above, illegally entering the United States is a misdemeanor. Voting illegally is a felony. Please don't get used for your vote and forfeit this opportunity. This isn't amnesty or even conditional amnesty, it is EXPEDITED CITIZENSHIP because it's a humanitarian issue, not a political one.

Source