It seems to me this is another of our problems we are not willing to solve, reasonable compromises could find a workable way out. Here are a few things I think could work:
- Grant special temporary legal status to those in the country today, make it easy to get, but clearly temporary until final decisions are made. To qualify people would need to register pretty quickly, and no new immigrants would get the status.
- Issue a national id card, perhaps a passport, that anyone would need to have to work or get any kind of services. Make it easy to scan or enter the number to check the person out.
- Stop allowing automatic citizenship by birth here, most countries don't do this.
- Quickly deport anyone who does not have the card or registration.
- Anyone who violates the rules should permanently lose the right to such as card.
- Going forward these cards could be issued to new immigrants on a temporary basis, if they do not follow the rules again they would lose the right to such a card forever.
Then, only after this has been successfully implemented, begin the complex and difficult process of sorting out who can stay and who can apply for permanent residency or citizenship.
I believe some version of this could solve much of the problem. However we seem to lack the political will and willingness to compromise to do something like this...