To earn citizenship, all entering immigrants would work for two years on BOTH U.S borders as border patrol guards. This would allow the U.S. border patrol to drop back and flank them. If the U.S. Border Patrol finds people crossing the border and getting past the first line of defense, the ones trying to earn their citizenship, then those on the border would be relieved of duty and sent back to their country.
If those on the border do their job, then in two years time they become U.S. citizens AND, they actually have a wad of money (their earnings would be put into a bank account) waiting for them when they finish, minus the necessary deductions.
Before the argument is used that we are all immigrants, lets not, because that belittles the efforts made of the tens of millions of immigrants who went through the front door when they came to this country and subjected themselves to public scrutiny BEFORE ENTERING THE COUNTRY.
The U.S. has become notorious for making its own "legal" citizens WAIT, AND WAIT, AND WAIT when trying to accomplish even the most menial of tasks or requirements. Part of being a U.S. citizen is to wait.
So, if people trying to enter the country had to wait, it would SLOW DOWN the amount of people entering the country while also giving those SERIOUS about being a U.S. citizen a legitimate way to get in. Plus, anyone who spent two years on the border would have earned the respect of any other U.S. citizen, especially the other 300 million who never did patrol the border.
I also envision huge colleges placed on the border. Those who work the border by day can also take courses on a variety of subjects in the late afternoon. I would love the classes to be free even for those coming from Mexico who just want an education.
This could be in incredible public works program that benefits everybody involved. Then all the liberals in our country could put up or shut up and actually volunteer to teach classes for a semester.
