Letter: Fixing immigration takes time and work

Thursday, June 7, 2007 | 7:15 a.m.

Those supporting illegal aliens or the disastrous Senate compromise on immigration argue that it is impractical to deport 12 million to 20 million people. But that begs the question. Do you have to deport them all , or just some?

Don't have the resources to deport them all? Gear up to randomly round up 250,000 per year, perhaps. Make it clear that no lawbreaking illegal is immune from deportation. At the same time, gear up to audit businesses for compliance with proper screening procedures and to prosecute them if necessary. Ultimately it is their greed that feeds the problem. Insist they pay a living wage for the services they seek, so as to attract some of the 4 million to 5 million unemployed Americans .

Businesses will argue that screening is ineffective. The third leg of the stool is to provide businesses with a practical mechanism to do screening - to compare Social Security numbers presented with those on file with the government, for example. The cost to set up such a mechanism is a lot less than the current drain on national resources. Remove the excuse for doing nothing.

Finally, immigration has been the lifeblood of this country for more than two centuries. Legitimate immigration should be welcomed and encouraged, not discouraged. Legitimate implies legal, not otherwise. Remove the illegality and a host of problems are solved. America will prosper and be diverse and multicultural as a result.

Richard Conner, Las Vegas