Dear Senators:

Hope all is well with you. I know you are in the middle of a very important legislative session, with many pending issues to deal with. So much to do, in so little time. But before you fill up your schedule and then go on your summer recess, I wanted to follow up on a letter I wrote to you a few weeks ago. In case it got lost in the pile of correspondence you've been receiving lately, it was basically some tips on how to deal with the immigration issue so that you wouldn't let yourself be blinded by the irrational anti- 
immigrant forces.

My first piece of advice was to stay away -- as far away as possible -- from the “A” word. I don't know what it is, but the moment people hear the word “amnesty,” it is as if their very existence is being threatened. Many of you obviously were not able to protect yourselves from that little devil standing on your shoulder whispering in your ear, telling you not to support the bill, to tear it apart before that alien invasion destroys our way of life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to downplay or trivialize the importance of this issue, but I do think that when you are considering a solution to a problem such as this one, you really have to look at the alternatives and be pragmatic about it.

From listening closely to the debate on both sides of the issue, I see the main arguments behind the anti-“A”-word lobby are that we should be securing our border first and that paving the way for citizenship for undocumented immigrants would be the equivalent of rewarding someone for breaking the law.

First of all, I seriously doubt that there is anyone in this country who does not believe there is a need to secure our borders. There might be disagreement on how to go about it, but I'm sure everyone believes the U.S. has the right to control -- in one way or another -- who comes into the country. The immigration-reform bill before you earlier this month had provisions that would enhance the already existing efforts for border security. By not approving it, those additional efforts will be nonexistent. The bill also proposed a guest-worker program through which the U.S. can control who comes in to work on a temporary basis. Without it, migrant workers are still coming in, because there are jobs that need to be filled and that only they will take.

Now, as far as the undocumented immigrants already living in this country, there has not been a better suggestion for how to deal with this issue than the one proposed in the bipartisan bill. It is clear by now that it is impossible to round up 12 million people and send them back to dozens of countries all over the world. Many of those people already have roots in the U.S. They hold jobs, they pay taxes, they have children who are American citizens and they help keep our economy going.

As far as them breaking the immigration laws, you really have to put it into perspective. It's true that some of these immigrants crossed the border without the proper documentation and that others arrived here with a visa and just stayed when it expired. There are penalties and fines within the  
immigration-reform bill, which imposes a punishment and establishes a long list of requirements before someone can even begin to consider becoming a legal resident.

Immigration reform probably is one of the most difficult issues you have had to tackle in recent times, because it affects so many people and stirs up so many emotions. But if you have gotten this far, you really should consider giving it another chance. Doing nothing should not be an option. Maintaining the status quo would be the equivalent of a “silent amnesty,” like Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano called it, or a “de facto amnesty,” as presidential hopeful and Republican Sen. John McCain referred to it. Doing nothing would be like having an opportunity to solve one of the most serious problems our nation has faced in decades, and deciding to turn your back on it.

Sincerely,

Just another American taxpayer

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www 
.mariaesalinas.com)

© 2007 by Maria Elena Salinas

Distributed by King Features Syndicate