The fight against illegal migrants from Mexico has been going on in the United States for many years, though without much success. In 2005, for example, US authorities arrested 1.2 million illegals. At the same time, at least half a million still managed to sneak into the country and blend in. Typically, illegals from Mexico settle in California, Texas, and Florida. They work on farms, on construction sites, in transportation. If they work at all, rather than choosing the path of a bandit and drug dealer.
At the end of 2005, Congress, approving the Bush administration's initiatives, passed a law according to which 12 million illegals on US territory were declared criminals who should be immediately deported from the country. The law provides for sanctions against employers who accept illegal migrants. The relevant services are engaged in catching and deporting them.
To prevent new illegals from entering the United States, the Bush administration decided to send guards to the border and build protective structures. Congress supported these initiatives. The Senate (the upper house of parliament), which also does not approve of illegal migration, is in principle not against the wall, but wants to legalize those illegals already in the country. Provided, of course, that they become upstanding citizens.
As a result, the Senate approved the construction of 800 km of barriers and 600 km of a three-row fence, proposed by Bush and supported by Congress. Along with this, the Senate allowed illegal migrants who have been in the United States for more than two years to legalize and apply for US citizenship. Within the next week, the Senate will vote on the remaining measures proposed by the George Bush administration under the program to combat illegal migration.
In addition to the news about the "fence," Bush also announced that in addition to the 12,000 US National Guardsmen patrolling the border with Mexico, another 6,000 will be sent. They are designed to strengthen the security of the southern borders of the United States and prevent illegal migrants from Mexico from entering the country.
The length of the US-Mexico border is 3,219 km. It is equipped with ditches, barbed wire, electronic sensors, and is also patrolled. But all this does not save from thousands of Mexicans bringing drugs into the United States and replenishing the criminal community. According to some reports, the flow of illegal migrants is so strong that US border patrol services catch 4,200 Mexicans and representatives of other Central American peoples at the border every day.
Those who managed to get into the United States face a rather complicated procedure. They need to obtain the status of a "guest worker." This status can be changed to that of a US citizen after a number of years. Such citizenship is called "earned." To obtain it, one must not only work in the country for several years, but also pay fines, taxes, learn English, and prove the absence of a criminal past. The option is a compromise and is intended to reconcile those who advocate the complete expulsion of illegals with those who seek their general amnesty. General legalization is already carried out every 10-15 years.