US Immigration on the Easiest Setting

Motivations for (Wealthy) Immigration to the US

• Debate over why rich foreigners would seek US citizenship:
  • Pro: physical safety for elites, access to high-end healthcare, strong private security, political protection from arbitrary expulsion.
  • Con: high crime in some areas (though not where elites live), equivalent or better care elsewhere (e.g., Israel, EU), and US worldwide taxation makes citizenship a financial negative.
• “Buy–borrow–die” wealth strategies and tax arbitrage are raised, with pushback that similar options exist in many other countries, some with more favorable regimes for foreign-derived income.

Difficulty, Cost, and Arbitrary Nature of the System

• Some commenters report managing green cards and naturalization without lawyers, describing the process as tedious but not intellectually difficult.
• Others detail Kafkaesque experiences: repeated document requests, expensive “police letters” from multiple countries, forced departure during processing, and dependence on family or wealth to survive gaps.
• Corruption and bribery in some source countries are cited as a shortcut for well-connected applicants.
• The N-600 certificate for children is highlighted as a trap: children can be citizens in law but lack proof if parents don’t file correctly, creating deportation risks.

Legal vs. Illegal Immigration and Enforcement

• One side stresses that a sovereign state has the right to tightly control entry; unfair laws are still laws and should be changed via elections, not ignored.
• Others argue that:
  • Physical reality (crossing a border) often trumps legal design.
  • Asylum seekers facing death will ignore legal barriers, and most Americans underestimate how few legal pathways exist.
• Selective enforcement is a major concern: complex rules let authorities deport “undesirables” for minor paperwork issues while ignoring violations by wealthy or high-profile immigrants.
• Comparisons are drawn to marijuana laws: formal illegality vs. socially tolerated non-enforcement.

Historical, Economic, and Cultural Dimensions

• Calls to recreate an “Ellis Island–style” easy path clash with worries about a modern welfare state, fiscal impact, and cultural change.
• Some argue economic objections are often a proxy for ethnic or cultural anxieties; others openly defend tighter immigration to preserve monoculture or “ethnostate” characteristics, prompting sharp disagreement.

Reform Proposals and Pessimism

• Proposals range from employer-focused enforcement (arrest CEOs hiring undocumented workers) to a radically simplified, DMV-based visa system keyed to work, study, or self-sufficiency.
• Multiple commenters conclude the US system is so convoluted and politicized that it’s effectively irreparable and should be replaced wholesale, not “fixed.”