Based on my experience, I guess that, by January 2025, over the preceding four years, we will have admitted 20 million more folks in this country than law and good sense would have allowed. Most Americans strongly favor deporting these illegal aliens. How do we (i.e., the next Trump Administration) fix this? A few simple, immediate steps will address the problem without the ugly round-ups that Democrats promise, ensuring a stark reduction in the number of illegal aliens. All these steps should apply to all illegals in the country without exception.

What about the children?

Each illegal foreign child should be DNAed and fingerprinted. Abandoned children need to be tracked and eventually reunited with family if feasible. Otherwise, put them up for adoption. Any minor claiming to be 14 years or older should be processed as an adult, which I’d be willing to bet most of them are.

DREAMers should be processed for temporary legal residence with no possibility of becoming an American citizen. If they keep their noses clean and stay off public assistance, let them stay. By the way, if they say they can’t speak their parents’ native language, that’s simply not true. They grew up speaking with their parents, after all.

Long-term residents under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) should also be processed for temporary legal residence with no possibility of naturalization.

Image: Illegal aliens at Boston’s Logan Airport. YouTube screen grab.

Finish the wall

The March 2024 ruling in favor of Texas and Missouri should have taken care of that, but completion may take time which takes us into the Trump administration. If costs have increased, there are FY-24 DHS infrastructure funds. DHS should also reimburse states, counties, and municipalities that have already blocked or are willing to block border crossers. That quickens the process and lowers the cost as well. The 119th Congress can appropriate the rest of the funding required. Then, secure that wall with harsh enforcement.

Halt admissions

Historically, two-thirds of all illegals in the country have been overstays. Have each consular section at our embassies analyze those who did not return and stop issuing visas to folks in similar circumstances.

Stop all nonimmigrant visa issuances to and admissions from countries that are under TPS. Cancel the faux “humanitarian entry” program and stop flying folks to the US. Roll back all of Biden’s extensions of TPS and advise these folks that they have 60 days to depart.

Halt all illegal entry. Turn every single one of them away. If they want to apply for asylum, advise them to find a UNHCR office elsewhere in the world. Do not accept applications for asylum from individuals who are already in a third country (Mexico) or from Mexicans. Their governments are not persecuting them.

Tighten the asylum application process

No pleas for asylum should be processed from an airline passenger without proper travel documentation. Require airlines to present, along with the passenger and crew manifest, a screenshot of everyone’s passport page with identifying information and photo. Anyone ditching their documents should be denied entry and flown out immediately.

Cut off funds

Cancel all federal contracts with organizations assisting illegals and those abroad assisting those who intend to enter illegally. Cut off reimbursements to states that provide assistance to illegals. If a state wants to provide a service to someone on its soil, that’s on the voters in that state, not the rest of us in other states. Cut off federal funds for state and local law enforcement to all sanctuary states, cities, etc.

Cancel all US assistance to Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, and any other country that fosters the movement of those intended to enter the US illegally. Remove USAID staff from those countries. Send it back once the migrant hordes are gone and they’ve properly secured their borders.

Stop all federal payments of any sort (medical, housing, food, miscellaneous) to illegals. Immediately cancel all but $1000 on any EBT card issued to illegals. Tell them they have two months to get out of the country before detention, prosecution, and life-long ineligibility ever to enter the US again kick in. How do they prove they left? They apply for a nonimmigrant visa at a US embassy or consulate abroad within 60 days.

Prohibit residence and employment

Provide two months’ notice that all temporary residence and work authorization under the “humanitarian parole” and CPB1 programs will be canceled. Same for asylum applicants since January 20, 2021. Since Biden/Harris paid to fly many in, they should be offered free flights home.

Prohibit change of status

Require those who are seeking to change to a legal status (student, marriage to an American, etc.) to wait abroad for processing. Give them two months to appear at a US embassy in person to register to continue processing their application.

Stop processing asylum applications

Require those who applied for asylum/refugee status to wait abroad. Give them two months to show up in person (entire family) at a US embassy or consulate, where they can make a no-cost application for a visitor visa that will be denied. That application process should include capturing fingerprints (even of minors), photographs, a copy of the DHS documentation of their asylum application, and contact information abroad. If they fail to make such an application, their asylum application should be denied.

Prosecute employers of illegals

Put out a public service announcement that the new 87,000 IRS agents will be following up on any reports of a company employing illegals, and those that have done so will have their work permission revoked. Set up a tip line. Any company found to be employing those ineligible for employment will be IRS audited, and OSHA inspected to within an inch of their lives. Crooked in uno, crooked in omnibus, I say.

Incarcerate illegals

States and localities should be reimbursed for detaining illegals until they can be passed over to federal authorities and processed for deportation. If a routine traffic stop can result in detention and deportation, this will also force folks to reevaluate the benefits of being in the United States. Such detention doesn’t have to be expensive. Sheriff Joe Arpaio showed the way with his adequate but barebones facilities. Those apprehended should never have the ability to wander freely in our society.

Force their hand

Deporting illegals should be one of our highest national priorities. If a country refuses to accept its citizens being returned or refuses to document its citizens for international travel, the United States should start revoking visas issued to that country’s senior officials and their families, including their kids in school in the United States. If that doesn’t work, then refuse to grant admission to the United States for any citizen from that country. They’ll cave.

A great many of those who should not be here will self-deport if faced with dire consequences otherwise. Loss of money, loss of free housing, free food, free medical care, and access to employment will be enough to send most of the recent and some of the long-term illegals away. Rounding up the rest will then be less onerous.

Anony Mee is the nom de blog of a retired public servant who X-tweets at oh_yeahMee.