It is harsh, possibly too harsh, meaning that many illegals may just ignore the whole matter since they're never going to come in contact with $500,000 anytime in their working lives. But it does target some illegals where it matters, through their actual motivations for coming here -- which is the prospect of making a lot of money in the states, often to remit home. For them, mere money is their American dream, not loyalty to the United States or its system of rule of law. If the feds can take that, or maybe a home, from those who've been ordered deported, maybe it's cheaper to go, and perhaps consider coming here legally, instead. It isn't a perfect solution, given that the people who would be most affected are those who've made money by creating value in the economy, (not the welfare class) but it might be the only way to reinstall respect for rule of law if the leftists can't snap it away through the courts.
The thing about it is that the measure has a whiff of normalcy, because people do respond to incentives.
What's more, it resembles the way America is actually run. The fact of the matter is, Americans get fined for every possible transgression, all of them quite a bit less significant than breaking and entering a foreign country and freely availing oneself to its services and benefits. Whether it's speeding, paying taxes late, picking up an eagle feather, or filling a swamp, Americans pay all kinds of fines to government for breaking different laws on the books. The left may howl about this, but right now, ignoring a deportation order is a cost-free proposition, and a good reason why so many ignore them.
What's more, it's a symptom of the big problem in our legal system with illegals, which is two tiers of law, one set for them and one set for us. Leftist prosecutors alter their charges against illegals charged with crimes and judges alter their sentencing practices to lower tiers to prevent criminally convicted illegals from ever being deported. Illegal criminals in jail often reveal their illegality in order to get deported, while ordinary convicts stay inside. Ordinary Americans get the full force of the law. Illegal criminals? Well, they get judges who sentence them to less, and some even let them out the back door ahead of awaiting ICE agents. One set of laws for them, one set for us. That's a corruption of law and order that the $500,000 fine helps correct.
The whole illegals system is a mass of loopholes and incentives to break federal law. Why bother to wait 20 years to come here legally (this by the way needs to be reformed), when you can come illegally at no consequences whatsoever with the effect of being treated as if one is a citizen, with all the benefits that entails? The fine creates a check to that.
I'm waiting for the outcry, but with President Trump having so few tools to restore order to the border and a legal process for immigration, maybe something draconian like this is the answer. If you can't remit back home because Uncle Sam fined and garnished you, why stay in the states? It all serves to make the prospect of coming here legally a better idea than coming here illegally. Baby steps.
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