Why & how U.S. immigration policies must change:
The USA backlog of illegals entering is huge and the USA decision rate for these cases is low.
There is a backlog of 660,000 cases. That’s a lot of cases.  That’s a lot of undocumented individuals running around finding some sort of employment as they stay under the radar.
Legal advise is ‘get a lawyer’ (this improves the odds of winning from 10% to 50% currently) and lawyers cost money. Hence, undocumented person are advised to get a job to pay for the lawyer.
Immigration judges decided 32,000 cases  in 2017.  That rate was the highest in 5 years. Roughly 62% of cases overall are rejected currently.
Do the math. It would take 20 years to decide a backlog of 660,000 cases divided by a rate of 32,000 a year.
The policy of “catch and release” came about under President Obama. Overwhelmed by thousands of undocumented persons – largely from El Salvador and other central american countries — the USA was flooded.
Roughly 330,00 individuals were “caught and released” and these persons went underground and did not go to their court appearances. Many did and continue to get  jobs.
These ‘catch and release’ individuals affect the overall jobs that are available to persons legally in the USA.
Why don’t these economic/ political refugees, largely from El Salvador and central america,  go elsewhere? Mexico rejects rougly 90% of “refugees”.  Same rate for the Philippines. Where to go? Russia only declines 11%.
In March 2018 Attorney General Sessions implemented several major changes in USA immigration policies. These changes may reduce the backlog.
One change:Â Â Judges can now decide cases based on written evidence without a full hearing. That could speed things up.
Another change coming up:Â will “economic refugees” continue to be granted special status?
The overall goal is to reduce the backlog of 660,000 persons sufficiently so that persons who are apprehended for illegal entry into the USA are kept incarcerated until their hearing.
Perhaps — if people who ‘jump the fence’ know that, once caught, they are in a USA jail and not free to get a job, that may slow down the rate of persons who come. Maybe.
Aptos Psychologist: Yes the USA welcomes immigrants. In the 1600’s immigrants came on boats to escape religious persecution. Today the USA continues  to welcome more legal immigrants than any other nation.
Yes, immigrants are welcome. Stand in line. Follow the laws.
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