by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling
Illegal Immigration - The Issue Is Less Complicated Than Washington Pretends
July 10, 2007 02:00 PM EST



Illegal immigration is one of the most important issues currently facing our country.

Unfortunately, the recent debate in Congress over proposed amnesty for illegal immigrants shows just how out of touch some in Washington, D.C., have become with the American people.

Americans want something done to stop the flow of illegals coming into our country, and they want the law enforced as it relates to illegals who are already in our country.

We want people to come to our country for legitimate purposes, such as getting an education or finding a job.

We want everyone to enjoy the American Dream, but the American Dream must be earned -- it cannot be stolen.

If we are really serious about dealing with the problem of illegal immigration, here is what we need to do:

First, we must secure our southern border to stop the flow of illegals into our country, and we need to do this immediately. The border must be secured by whatever means is necessary -- a physical fence, a virtual fence, more border patrol officers, the National Guard -- whatever it takes.

Second, we must reform our immigration system to make it easier and quicker for people to come to our country for legitimate purposes. The current system is too complex and time consuming, but that is no justification for turning the cheek of indifference to the willful violation of our laws.

Third, we must take away the incentives that encourage people to come to our country illegally. We must stop providing the benefits of citiz enship (Medicaid, welfare, public housing, or any other form of public assistance) to illegal immigrants. These are the benefits of citizenship, and they are intended for American citizens -- not people who come to our country illegally.

Fourth, we must do more to hold employers accountable for knowingly hiring illegal workers or failing to confirm their legal immigration status before hiring them. We must make it as difficult as possible for illegal immigrants to find jobs in our country.

If we take away the incentives that encourage people to come to our country illegally, like public services and jobs, they will be discouraged from committing illegal acts and encouraged to comply with the law, like millions of other legal immigrants have done before them.

And finally, we must actively enforce the immigration laws that are already on the books. We need to be more aggressive in our efforts to find illegals and remove them from our coun try. We may not be able to deport all of the 12 million - 20 million illegals who are in our country today, but we can remove those we encounter along the way.

Does this sound reasonable to you? It does to me. If so, why can't Congress do these things and put the immigration debate behind us? Unfortunately, some in Congress appear to be more interested in the politics of immigration than they are in solving the crisis.

While Congress fails to act, states are forced to do what we can to address the issue on the state level. While the primary responsibility for immigration rests with the federal government, there are things we can do in Virginia to help address this problem.

We can require the Governor to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) to allow state and local law-enforcement agencies to enforce civil immigr ation laws. This would enable our state and local police to arrest and detain illegals when they encounter them, rather than releasing them.

We can make sure that illegals in Virginia are not receiving the benefits of citizenship. While we have already acted to take most of these benefits away, we still allow the children of illegal immigrants living in Virginia to pay in-state tuition at our colleges and universities. That should be stopped.

And finally, we can pass our own laws holding Virginia employers accountable for knowingly hiring illegal workers or knowingly failing to confirm their immigration status prior to hiring them.

I understand that illegal immigration is complex, but it is not as complex as the politicians in Washington want to make it appear. We support legal immigration. We oppose illegal immigration. And if they cannot understand that, we need some new leaders in Washington.

Bill Bolling is Virginia's Lieutenant Governor.

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