[np-]

Because it’s functionally impossible to deport all “illegals” without massively disrupting legal immigrant communities? How exactly do you propose the illegal immigrant gestapo determine someone is here legally? Race? Accent? Stop every brown person on the street and ask for papers…? What don’t republicans understand by this

[goodluckchuck]

I think you could get 90% of the way to “all” with information that’s already in federal databases. People have jobs. Look at the fake / duplicate SSNs. So, John Smith with SSN 999-99-9999 is a White Male born in 1943, but the family at his residence is Asian and in their 30s? Absolutely no need to harass random people.

[HideousKojima]

Or you could just... require proof of citizenship/legal residence for housing, jobs, etc.? No need for Gestapo checking papers.

[woodruffw]

> require proof of citizenship/legal residence for housing, jobs, etc.?

Gestapo comparisons aside, you do understand that this is a significant deviation from the status quo in the US, right? The US can't even agree on a unified federal ID; what makes you think we're anywhere close to accepting a world in which the government is a party to civil matters like leases?

(And to be clear: enforcing this kind of introspection absolutely would require an enforcement agency with unprecedented visibility into the paychecks and housing statuses of every single person in this country.)

[np-]

Er, this is already the law right? Every job I’ve held in the US, I needed to prove I’m eligible to legally work. Obviously this doesn’t work to resolve the issue at all.

[c-cube]

Some industries, like agriculture or restaurants, rely so heavily on cheap immigrant labor that enforcing this would cause an economic crash and food prices would soar. Other industries will ask prospective employees their SSN, which illegal immigrants don't have. So, which part do you wish to change?

[maximinus_thrax]

Brilliant idea. Have you heard of Form I-9?