Submitted by Rigbe_Green, Nov 15, 2007 22:29

I wish people would get real about the issue of illegal immigration. I wish people would set aside their rhetoric and chicken little mentality and come up with real solutions to this very obvious problem.

First off, the men and women who are here illegally were encouraged to break the law by the US Government and by US employers. Businesses willingly offer and hire people without papers while the federal government has failed and continue to fail to enforce its own laws.

Second, current immigration laws are unfair and severely flawed. The process to become a legal resident is so time consuming, so convoluted and so unnecessary that many take the risk and make the decision to enter the US illegally.

Third, many of the people who are undocumented were brought here as children. All of them were raised to be Americans and the majority would like a way to participate completely to the society and to the country that they grew up in. Their only crime is that they trusted their parents. Why should they be punished?

There are over 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the US. They may bear the title of "illegal" based on the circumstances of how they came to be in America, but the majority have shown themselves to hardworking, able-bodied persons who contribute greatly to this country.

If something has to be done regarding this population, whether it involves enforcement only or allowing them a path to legalization, then these solutions must be reasonable. It's basic common sense.

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