As we prepare for a new administration that promises to secure our border and focus on deporting criminal aliens and/or others who do not hold the promise of making positive contributions to our nation, it's also an opportune time to address those who are positively contributing through their hard work and love of America.
It's an important conversation to have as President-elect Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as president, and advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy encourage bringing the best and brightest legal immigrants here to strengthen our workforce.
In a December 2024 study, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce outlined that the United States has a shortage of workers and concluded, "If every unemployed worker took an open job in their industry, there would still be millions of open jobs." (Please see, America Works Data Center | U.S. Chamber of Commerce).
The Chamber’s conclusions raise two important questions.
- How much worse would our labor shortage be if we suddenly lost millions of long-term undocumented workers?
- Secondly, how will the new administration and Congress be able to grow our economy if we do not have workers ready to fill newly created jobs?
The recent election demonstrated that there is broad support for securing the border and deporting criminal aliens.
Citizens are clearly frustrated over what has happened with illegal immigration over the last four years, and to the extent possible they support undoing the damage caused by recent policies which have allowed this to happen.
However, attempting deportations which could potentially target workers who have long been in our country, many with U.S. born children, would likely lead to a quick erosion of public support.
Additionally, the political risk of such a move would also put our economy at risk by further eroding our workforce.
Fortunately, there is an alternative solution that makes sense, both from a political and an economic standpoint.
That solution would be to update Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 — a policy which has previously been updated several times according to CRS (Immigration: Registry as Means of Obtaining Lawful Permanent Residence).
By selecting a date well before the recent border debacle (such as 2012), we could ensure that those who have been in our country for a long period of time, are contributing to society, and can be cleared through a vetting process, will have the opportunity to obtain the right to legally work in our country like in the past.
It's important to point out that updating the registry has nothing to do with a path to citizenship, which is (and should be) an entirely separate issue.
To clarify this point, those who would qualify under an expanded registry process should have to agree to the following terms:
- They cannot vote, they will not be counted in the census, their visa is long-term temporary, they will not seek to promote chain migration, they will only engage in marriages that can be proven to be bona fide, and they will maintain continuous employment with their sponsoring employer for a period of five years before consideration of other employment.
As part of this registry update, employers should be brought into the process to make sure that laws are followed.
For example, under our current system most employers are not required to utilize the E-Verify process unless they are federal contractors or meet other narrow criteria.
As part of a registry update, utilization of the E-Verify process should be expanded to provide assurances that all of those being hired by employers meet the legal requirement to work in America.
It's no secret to anyone that there are undocumented people working in the U.S. and that many of these people have been here for many years.
As the new administration begins to deal with the immigration problems of the last four years, it's time to make a decision regarding those who've been here a while.
Due to the realities of the political situation and the U.S. workforce shortage, deporting these people is not a viable option.
The only viable option is to update the Immigration Registry, allowing them to remain here and legally work under very controlled circumstances.
The last update to the registry was under President Ronald Reagan in 1986.
At a signing ceremony held next to the newly refurbished Statue of Liberty, Reagan said, "The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society.
"Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans."
As we work to secure our border and deport criminal aliens, updating our Immigration Registry with the improvements previously outlined will enable us to permanently address lingering problems that have plagued U.S. Immigration policy for years.
It's a commonsense policy that is not only good for the nation, but also good for people who have only known the United States as their home for many years.
Joe from Texas is a family man with children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren who has had tremendous success and lived the American Dream. His beliefs are both straightforward and deeply held. He believes in God, his family, and the United States of America. For more information, please visit www.JoeFromTexas.com. Read More Joe Penland Reports — Here.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.