{"id":6164,"date":"2025-12-08T12:37:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T20:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/?p=6164"},"modified":"2025-12-13T12:21:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T20:21:32","slug":"how-should-the-u-s-handle-illegal-aliens-in-the-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/2025\/12\/08\/how-should-the-u-s-handle-illegal-aliens-in-the-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigration: How should the U.S. handle illegal aliens?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I asked AI about the illegal aliens issue[1]- proposing my thoughts that a civil fine and\/or a method of proper application to stay could be alternatives to deportation. Another issue is ICE&#8217;s often unnecessarily heavy-handed treatment of individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oregon, where I live, has the broadest &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; laws and programs of any U.S. state. Most illegal aliens enter the U.S. on a valid visa &#8211; and then overstay the visa. In Oregon&#8217;s view, once you have done that, you should be permitted to stay regardless of whether you have official permission to do so. In effect Oregon&#8217;s perspective is what most think of as &#8220;open borders&#8221; vis a vis citizens of other countries moving to Oregon. Once here, they are welcome to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But is that the right solution? Should we have open borders for anyone who self elects to move to the U.S?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcdc Federal vs. State Roles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Federal government:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Immigration status, visa overstays, and deportation are federal matters handled by DHS\/ICE.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Overstaying a visa is a civil violation, not a criminal one, but it can trigger deportation proceedings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>States like Oregon:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oregon\u2019s <strong>Sanctuary Promise Act (2021)<\/strong> bars state\/local agencies from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement except when required by law.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oregon also funds <strong>legal representation<\/strong> for immigrants facing deportation, regardless of status.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>State services (education, healthcare, driver\u2019s licenses, school meals) are provided based on residency and income, not immigration status (which means anyone, including illegal aliens, are eligible for these services).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The only thing illegal aliens cannot do, in Oregon, is vote.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2696\ufe0f Why Oregon Does This<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Humanitarian rationale:<\/strong> Ensures children and families have access to basic services regardless of status.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Practical rationale:<\/strong> Local police and schools argue that cooperation with ICE undermines trust and public safety.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Political rationale:<\/strong> Oregon voters have repeatedly upheld sanctuary policies, seeing them as part of the state\u2019s identity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udeaa The \u201cOpen Borders\u201d Perception<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oregon\u2019s approach does look broad: once someone is physically present, they can access nearly all state services except voting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But technically, Oregon cannot change federal immigration law \u2014 deportation remains a federal option.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What Oregon does is <strong>reduce the likelihood of deportation by limiting cooperation<\/strong> and <strong>buffering residents with support structures<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udd0e Your idea of alternatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You suggested <strong>civil fines or a proper application process<\/strong> as consequences short of deportation. That\u2019s actually a live policy debate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some scholars propose a <strong>\u201cregularization\u201d pathway<\/strong> for visa overstayers \u2014 paying a fine, proving residency, and applying for legal status.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Others argue for <strong>expanded temporary visas<\/strong> to reduce overstays in the first place.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The challenge is balancing <strong>rule of law<\/strong> with <strong>humanitarian and economic realities<\/strong> (millions of overstayers are integrated into communities).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 Bottom line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oregon does provide a broad support structure for undocumented residents, including visa overstayers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Oregon is widely considered to have one of the broadest and most comprehensive sanctuary policies in the United States. It was the first state to adopt a statewide sanctuary law (1987), and its 2021 Sanctuary Promise Act expanded protections further than most other states.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<code>First mover: Oregon was the first state to codify sanctuary protections statewide.<\/code><br>Breadth: Oregon\u2019s law applies to all public bodies, not just police or local governments.<br>Support structures: Oregon funds legal aid, healthcare coverage for undocumented residents, and ensures access to education and school meals without immigration checks.<br>Enforcement: Oregon created mechanisms (hotlines, reporting systems) to hold agencies accountable if they violate sanctuary rules.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;It is widely regarded as the most comprehensive sanctuary framework in the U.S.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This is not technically \u201copen borders,\u201d but it does <strong>minimize consequences at the state level<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Federal law still allows deportation, but Oregon\u2019s sanctuary stance makes that less likely in practice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your idea of <strong>civil fines or alternative pathways<\/strong> reflects a middle-ground approach that many policy analysts are exploring as a way to reconcile enforcement with inclusion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>symbolic infrastructure of \u201cimmigration enforcement\u201d<\/strong> has eroded at the state level, replaced by a <strong>support infrastructure<\/strong> <strong>that normalizes undocumented presenc<\/strong>e. The <strong>value of \u201clegal status\u201d itself is stratified<\/strong> \u2014 voting remains exclusive, but most other aspects of residency are accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[1]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Federal law uses the term &#8220;illegal alien&#8221;. This terminology, though, gave way to &#8220;illegal immigrant&#8221;, and then was changed by immigrant promoters to &#8220;undocumented immigrant&#8221;. In recent years, the media has shortened that to &#8220;immigrant&#8221;, blurring the line between a legal and illegal alien. More recently, this has been shortened further to &#8220;migrant&#8221; &#8211; and amusingly, a Newsweek reporter used the term &#8220;undocumented citizen&#8221;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oregon has the broadest &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; laws and programs of any U.S. state, and is de facto, an &#8220;open borders&#8221; state regarding illegal aliens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,14,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-background","category-government-regulatory","category-immigration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6164\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}