Beyond the Extremes: A Practical Immigration Path Forward

By Joe Palaggi

America’s immigration policy has become a pendulum swinging between extremes. For years, we drifted toward de facto open borders—lax enforcement, midnight relocation flights, and public benefits extended to recent arrivals, including hotel housing, food stipends, and even cell phones in some cities. The result? A surge in unlawful crossings and overwhelmed public services. Now, that pendulum has swung back with force. Some now call for the mass deportation of all 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Neither extreme is workable. Open borders erode sovereignty; mass deportation undermines both our economy and our national character.

It’s time for a third option—one that reinforces our laws, secures our borders, and treats long-settled undocumented immigrants with the measured compassion that has always defined America at its best.

Let’s begin by acknowledging two truths. First, a sovereign nation must control its borders. Second, it’s neither fiscally nor morally feasible to remove millions of people who have lived, worked, and contributed to American communities for years, often decades. According to Pew Research, nearly two-thirds of undocumented immigrants have lived in the U.S. for over a decade. Many have U.S.-born children, stable jobs, and deep community ties. These are not transient border-hoppers—they are neighbors, workers, and parents who have woven themselves into the national fabric.

Mass deportation would cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars and paralyze courts, law enforcement, and detention systems. A 2017 study by the Cato Institute estimated the cost of deporting the entire undocumented population at over $400 billion, requiring a decade or more of relentless federal action. It would also break up families and devastate industries that depend on immigrant labor. But doing nothing is equally unacceptable—it invites further illegal entry and corrodes respect for the rule of law.

What we need is a policy based not on politics, but on pragmatism.  If we want to preserve both our security and our decency, we need a solution that aligns with public sentiment and economic reality. That means acknowledging who is already here, how long they've been here, and the cost of ignoring that fact.

Here’s what that might look like:

Create a Time-Based Residency Requirement   

Eligibility for any form of legal accommodation should require continuous U.S. residency for several years prior to the enactment of the law. This rewards no one for recent crossings and allows us to address the population already living and working among us.

Require Registration, Vetting, and Accountability  During a limited-time registration window, eligible undocumented immigrants must come forward and pass a background check. They would need to show proof of residency, employment, and tax compliance. This process is not blanket amnesty—it is structured vetting with clear conditions.

Offer Conditional Legal Status, Not Automatic Citizenship  Qualified individuals would receive a renewable work and residency permit. This would not include a direct path to citizenship, nor would it permit family sponsorship or access to federal welfare programs during the conditional period.

Enforce the Law Going Forward  This compromise must come with teeth. Anyone found in the country illegally after the cutoff date would face expedited removal. Border enforcement would be strengthened. In exchange for legal accommodation for those long-settled, we draw a clear red line for future enforcement.

This model satisfies both sides of the aisle. Conservatives get accountability, tax compliance, and a secure border. Progressives get protection for families, humane treatment, and a long-overdue acknowledgment of the millions who contribute daily to our economy and culture.

Most Americans are not political extremists. They value both law and order and basic human decency. They want a secure border, but they also believe enforcement can be carried out with fairness and compassion. They understand that it’s possible to uphold national sovereignty without compromising our moral character.

The solution isn’t radical. It’s just rational. It’s time for Congress to stop playing to the cameras and return to the business of serious policymaking, because no problem ever solved itself.