A pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants

Purpose

We're already in an impossible situation and need to accept that the vast majority of undocumented immigrants in the country are here to stay. Instead of overtaxing our immigration courts with cases involving the majority of people who have entered the country and have been good, productive members of the communities they now reside in, we should free up those resources to focus on expediting the cases where certain individuals have caused harm or present harm to our communities. The humanitarian purposes of this objective are obvious. Many, if not most, of these undocumented individuals endured severe hardships in their migration, and continue to endure hardships here in the US. Not granting them a pathway to citizenship despite knowing the vast majority will never be removed is an indefinite punishment for having bypassed lawful immigration processes. The US should not be a country that operates from vindictive grounds. Conditions can be negotiated separate from the accomplishment of this objective. A pathway to citizenship strictly means a process for establishing that individuals are no longer subject to removal from the country solely for not having the legal standing to remain in the country. Additional benefits include increased tax revenues, gains to national GDP, and a stronger case to provide additional funding for enhanced border security. If necessary, enhanced border security can be made a prerequisite to a legal pathway to citizenship.