This article is from The Editor’s Corner, with insights, short-posts, and general ramblings from Editor/Owner Justin Stapley.

As a matter of pragmatism, I’m not sure there is any way to solve our immigration crisis without providing a path to citizenship.

The current crisis has essentially created a vast community living in the shadows, which makes it extremely easy for the criminal element to hide and operate.

I fear the crisis will only be compounded and illegal immigration will continue to be a vast and unsolvable problem until we make efforts to bring those who are willing to be tax-paying, law-abiding citizens out of the shadows.

This process does not have to be “amnesty”. Like any crime, misdemeanor, or infraction, there must be consequences. Any path to citizenship should involve fines, language classes, civics courses, and an intermediary period where a candidate for citizenship must demonstrate law-abiding behavior and payment of taxes.

Justice can be served in many ways and does not necessarily demand the most severe possible penalties. Would the scenario I describe be any different in terms of justice than paying a fine or providing community service instead of going to jail?

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Justin Stapley is the owner and editor of The Liberty Hawk. As a political writer, his principles and ideas are grounded in the ideas of ordered liberty as expressed in the traditions of classical liberalism, federalism, and modern conservatism. You can follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.

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