Well Ross, I agree with the comment. I think as long as we keep giving them free education, health care and anything else, that they will keep coming over in droves. Those people get more out of the government then our own poor people. Right now I worry more about terrorist coming thru the boarders and destroying our country. It's really scary...

I agree with you column and with the comments of your reader. I too have a criticism of the Federal government. For too long, the Feds have refused to create an enforceable immigration policy. The influence of illegal immigrant workers on the US economy has enough positive benefits to make most lawmakers wink and nod when the issue is discussed. Legislators throughout the US have routinely sponsored and approved laws appropriating tax dollars for education, welfare, and child care for people defined has criminals under our laws. Government generally seems to understand that immigration and cheap labor helps to support and grow our economy yet most lawmakers refuse to get behind a sensible immigration policy.

President Bush seems to have the right idea with his plan (outlined in his November 28th speech) to tighten up the borders while allowing law abiding, hard working immigrants to enter the US legally and do the jobs most Americans shun. The President said (correctly) “creating a legal channel for those who enter America to do an honest day's labor,” will relieve pressure on the border. Though some conservatives see the measures proposed by the administration as an amnesty program, this seems myopic given the fact that an estimated 11 million illegal aliens already reside within our borders. Hopefully, Congress will support legislation that reduces the gastly security risk of our porous borders and takes away the incentives to enter America illegally by creating a temporary work program. Then, the US may finally move towards an immigration policy that makes sense and no longer relies on a blind eye.

How can we have a better picture of the illegal immigration phenomenon, free of stereotypes, of empty expressions, of unproven statements? Media and polititians should be more responsible. Mexicans don't come here because of the social benefits, but because wages are 10 times higher than Mexico's. The incentives are not to be found in a catalogue of benefits; you could take them from those poor guys, they would still be eager to come. And besides, for each dollar they send back to Mexico, they spend 9 dollars in the U.S. Let's not demonize them!

This entire issue has been so politizied by both party's but especially the democrats.

It appears to this republican that our president is far too invested politically in the situation to make the right choices--troops on the border.

Further, Bush should tell Fox to clean his own dang mess then perhaps so many illegals wouldn't need to remain loyal to Mexico while living in the States--they'd still be IN Mexico.

I fear this problem will ultimately lead to a terror attack and there will be a direct correlation between lack of border security and the attack.

You say "...but we need a simultaneous massive increase in the amount of legal immigration permitted, whether for skilled or unskilled labor."

Of course, we already permit a massive amount of legal immigration, to the tune of about one million per year. So how high should it be? It almost seems as if you are suggesting that the solution to the illegal immigration problem is to increase legal immigration to such an extent that all who want to come (and who meet the usual caveats about not being a criminal or terrorist threat) can do so.

So again, how much legal immigration should we permit? 1.5 million per year? 2 million? 3 million? Even more?

Simply making all immigration legal would not solve the problems associated with the issue. There would still be questions about wage suppression, and about the burden on public services and infrastructure. And politically speaking, it would still be a tremendous boon for the Left as it pushes the demography of the nation further towards the Democrats.

But I do respect that you'd come out and openly advocate for this position. I just wish that politicians and advocates would do the same. Don't try to disguise legislation that would increase legal immigration. Label it honestly and be upfront about what it will do (unlike say, the 1965 reform act). I wouldn't hold my breath for such honesty, however, seeing as how polls consistently show that only a very small percentage of Americans support increasing legal immigration. Most either support keeping existing mass levels, or reducing overall legal immigration.

Revealing Mexican hypocricy is unfair. It's too easy. The society is based on it. Forget the fact that foreigners are routinely demanded to show immigration papers for driving licenses and bank accounts. Forget how Central Americans are mistreated as they cross into Mexico. The fact is that--as bad as they're treated in the US, as much racism as they're faced with--Mexicans' lives in the US is better than at home. In the US they have more freedom and are faced with less racism than they are in their own country. For the most part, their loyalty to Mexico is local: loyalty to their families and hometowns. As much as they may be an underclass in the US, their children won't be. If they had stayed in Mexico, they would remain "uneducated farmers" into the forseeable future. This is the hypocricy that's at the root of the resentment they show in the current situation.

I believe your column is an ignorant piece of paper.
U should know that the US stole more then 50% of Mexican terretory.
So Mexicano have right to come to this country and work. This country is made of mostly immigrant who come to the US from different parts of the world to have a better economic life,and free of oppresion by other governments.
It's not like immigrant are taking jobs that Americans want. Immigrant work in low paying jobs, that Americans dont even have a thought about working it those kind of jobs.

The immigrant are actually are being used by the American government. The American government know it kneeds hard working immigrant and cheap labor out in the fields. If Mexican Immigrants and Hispanic Immigrants stoped working for just one day. The American economy would paralyse.
How about protesting on all the immigran coming from Europe,who dont even kneed a visa to get into the US. They're the ones really taking good paying American Jobs.
But nobody pays attention to that.
By the way, when the US was hit by terrorist on 9/11, the planes came from europe, not from Mexico.

I dont see why u mostly white people are protesting, U people dont even dont even want to do the work that immigrant do, so why bother them with immigration policy's. American should be grateful, that people from other countries are going to the US to work on jobs that Americans dont want.And make a very meningful contribution to the US Economy.

If it's about protesting about stealing land and jobs. The Native people, that lived in the so called United States,long before IMMIGRANTS from Europe, Stole Native Land and still forced them to live in on inhumane reservetions. The Native people should stand up and protest for the injustices that were done, to they're Native ancestors.

I believe no one has the right to judge immigrants. Because most people that live in the US are descendent from Immigrants. Europen, African, of Asian immigrants. The US should live up to democratic institution and dessolve the plan to build a wall between Mexico and the US. Were no longer caveman age, the US government should figure out a better way to resolve the immigrant issue, then just building a wall, to solve the problem.

The wall slso puts an image of racist on the US government and the people who support it.

The issue is simple, jobs, it is very hard to get a well paid job in Mexico, immigrants are not only campesinos, there are a lot of professionals too, why don't invest in Mexico?, we are trying to improve in all fields but money is not enough, investing in Mexico can stop immigration by creating much needed jobs here.
Mexico has always seen US as a friend, the probablity of a terrorist attack coming from Mexico is nil,you are not seen as as foe but as a hope

I have to agree with you the US gov should look first for the US citizens; corruption is a big issue here, I hope someday it becomes something of the past.
However, a wall won't stop immigration, jobs will. Yes it is Mexico's responsability to create them, however US policy hasn't been a great help, tuna's embargo, avocado and other agricultural products unilateral restrictions, farm bills... we can't compete with that. Was that the idea on NAFTA or an equal treat on commerce?

Now that Mexico has a huge surplus in the current account due to Nafta, more illegal Mexicans are coming in. Now that they have more and better paying jobs due to Nafta, more illegal Mexicans are invading the most remote corner of this country in huge numbers. So it's not just lack of jobs the problem. They are looking for free and better education for their children; free health care and hospitals stays; more civil rights and even food stamps and financial aid their government can't provide. Their needs won’t never stop and will be more easily satisfy here because Mexican politicians are extremely corrupt. Now that money is coming in there in higher quantity not only the politicians are building more expensive houses for themselves and laundering money abroad at higher rate. Social programs and investing in the needed infrastructure are neglected while Mexicans are pushed to look for ways to feed themselves elsewhere. They are encouraged to emigrate to “el Norte” and in a rare case of subsirvient nationalism, they justify whatever their government does. The Mexican government now even illustrates Mexicans with flyers and free booklets to better cross the border avoiding risks; they push them to pursue any legal avenue to assert their civil rights not there but here. And in the last twist, President Fox is hiring an important lobbyist to make the American public accepts illegal immigration from Mexico as an historical inevitability and to highlights the economic advantage of illegal immigration.

I want to add that the cultural impact in this country of this huge influx of illegal immigrants, with that high birth rate, extreme lack of education, and rejection to anything that is not Mexican is not easy to be measured and forsight. We are witnessing already this impact among other things with the Mexican flags showing in the most unexpected places.

i propose we build the nations longest federal penitentiary along the U.S. / mexican border. any illegals will not only have to break into prison, but out as well to get to america.

With this type of blindness in your article, we never would work as partners.
If US is really willing to avoid, more anti American sentiment and collaborate for future growth and security, US should IDENTIFY and help its allies.

Now with a populist candidate running in Mexico (read AMLO who is in love with Chavez ideology), YOU wouldn’t like to have a Chavez fan, south of your border.

I still don’t get why SOME US citizens make their comments with these tiny vision (go beyond your local vision) of the current international affairs. US should demonstrate Mexico that is its ally or with your wall, you would be sponsoring a future Chavez as your neighbor.

Mexico is a corrupt country, run by the drug cartels with, seemingly, little interference by the government. Our country has a LEGAL IMMIGRATION policy. Illegal entry should not be acceptable under any circumstances. Thankfully, the combination of a wall and the national guard on the border will over time sharply reduce the problems of border security. Finally, is Mexico an ally? Show me some signs? To my knowledge, they do not participate in either Afghanistan or Iraq. NOT ONCE, have I seen any evidence that President Fox is a friend of the USA. It is up to THEIR COUNTRY to undertake policy actions that court our friendship, and not the opposite.

[Editor's note: Jens is likely writing in his second or third or fourth language here, so give him a break on some of the unclear meaning, which is not to say I'm in full agreement with him, but I appreciate his taking the time to write.]

I´m not american, i´m global... i don´t know the "exact" story US-mexico!! as well as i don´t know the "exact" story Israel-palestine or any prehistoric wall-manifesting story... doesn´t keep me from "believing" that any fault-lines in between identities (states, people, relegions or whatever, only grows bigger and more heavy when a wall apears as a "solution".

Globalisation has to start with every identety to grind any fault-line...how?? Every fault-line has its own story, but please don´t stop communication... a wall lasts 5 minutes and creates whatever number of new fault-lines (not a solution)... comunication grinds fault-lines and understanding and perhaps even grows these, in this case, to states between!!! a brick in this matter is a manifest of concluding in desperation!!! for the sake of the world!!!

I am Argentinean. A teenager. And yet, I am completely aware of such current affairs. What is so hard to understand? We allegdely are the "children of the new era". We are he ones that saw the Berlin wall fall, and celebrated it stating by this simple, but powerful, event that walls offer only problems, not solutions. The wall represent differentiation, a sort of will to exclude, discriminate into cantons and ghettos. America, the country of freedom, the self martirzed, the heroic, the country free from fear, free from want, free to worship... I agree,ILEGAL immigration is, indeed, an issue (not a problem, not a benefit), But is the Government willing to compromise the free will of thousand, nay, millions! The wall is a barrier in several aspects: political (this attitude denotes USA's isolationism and, in consequence, the restriction that the Government should impose itslef on dealing with international affairs...If the overnment can not even allow citizens from foreign countries to pass the frontier, then such Government has no right to try o impose itself over oter countries), economic (if immigration is to stop, then a massive workforce would cease to exist...Which, why not, let us be apocaliptic, could lead, indeed, to an economic breakdown), social (no need to explian why, I believe)...
The moral panics and the paranoia has once and again battered the U.S.A, in a softer yet similar way than how it did in the COld War. What is the great deal? Bush is delivering a quite Nazi speach: out with the immigrants, America for the Americans! Quite Mein Kampf.
The whole idea is absurd. Not beacuse of the motifs, but because of the expanations provided: "immigrants take the jobs from Americans". They might be immigrants, surely, but, readers...They are human beings. Immigrants, barrier, frontier, war, conlict, struggle...Thes words fill the newspaper daily..But what we usually forget, as a society, that, in ti end, it's just LAND. Land, bare land. Nothig more to it. Because of a difference measured in miles, thousands, nay, millions are doomed and excluded.

Think twice.