Feeling lucky?

Try this...open Google and enter "failure" in the search field. Click I'm Feeling Lucky. Checkout the search result. A kind of dry humor result I'd say.

Immigration...

I am a bit late in the news on this subject, but it is one where I have some experience. In the early 1980's I spent three years working as a paralegal for a non-profit in Chicago assisting undocumented workers (as opposed to illegal aliens). We typically assisted low-income individuals and their families obtain legal permanent residence in the United States. The majority of our clients were from Mexico and other countries in Central America.

The vast majority of these folks were escaping a grueling life of poverty. Some worked multiple jobs to send money home to family. This type of situation continues to this day.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you had the opportunity to escape poverty and a dim future, wouldn't you take it? Even at great risk? I would.

None of the solutions are easy, but there are some already in place. For example, legislation enacted in 1986 included employer sanctions. How much of an effort has been made to enforce what is already on the books?

One of the primary causes for the influx of arrivals is the struggling economies of Central and South America. What kind of an effort has been made regarding implementation of NAFTA? How neighborly has the U.S. been regarding aid to these economies? From what I know, the answer is not much.

Hopefully Congress will kill the effort to classify undocumented workers as felons. Even if being here illegally was a felony, where would the government put all these "felons"?

There is a need for a wholistic approach to immigration. Building fences and imprisoning folks is not the answer. Stronger enforcement of existing immigration laws against employers, increasing the number of visas available to immigrants and comprehensive economic aid to our southern neighbors would be a start.

Molly Ivins sums it up pretty well in her article titled "Immigration 101".