U.S. Needs Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The immigration debate is once again dominating the news as members of
Congress focus on the long-neglected problem of fixing our country's
failed immigration laws.

The immigration debate is once again dominating the news as members of
Congress focus on the long-neglected problem of fixing our country's
failed immigration laws.

American lawmakers are now at a critical point. Enforcement-only
legislation won't work and hasn't worked. Previous efforts to solve this
problem by focusing exclusively on border security have failed miserably.

In fact, during the past decade, the U.S. tripled the number of agents
on the border, quintupled the budget, toughened our enforcement
strategies and heavily fortified urban entry points.

Yet during the same time period, America saw record levels of illegal
immigration, porous borders, a cottage industry created for smugglers
and document forgers and tragic deaths in our deserts.

We must learn from our mistakes, not repeat them. What we need is
comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform that deals smartly with the
estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S.

Most are relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful residents or workers
holding jobs that Americans do not want. People already here who are not
a threat to our security, but who work hard, pay taxes and are learning
English, should be allowed to earn permanent residence.

The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, introduced by Sen. John
McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and others, includes the
necessary components of reform and provides the basis for fixing our
system. It combines toughness with fairness, creating a new temporary
visa program that provides a legal flow of workers.

This "break-the-mold" worker program would significantly diminish
illegal immigration by creating a legal avenue for people to enter the
U.S., something that barely exists today. Current immigration laws
supply just 5,000 annual permanent visas and 66,000 temporary visas for
essential lesser-skilled workers, in no way meeting the annual demand
for 500,000 such workers.

In addition, reducing the decade-long backlog in family-based
immigration would reunite families faster and make it unlikely that
people would cross the border illegally in order to be with their loved
ones.

Congress and the administration must act wisely as they weigh their
choices. We've had enough "quick fixes" that have made an already
unworkable system worse. We cannot control our borders -; or enhance our
national security -; until we enact comprehensive immigration reform.

Deborah Notkin is president of the American Immigration Lawyers
Association. - NU