Surprise! Enforce law and illegals go

By Jim Wooten
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Supporters of amnesty for illegals presented the option as either rounding up for deportation 12 million people in this country illegally or giving them a path to citizenship that amounted to amnesty.

Opponents never quite penetrated with their counter-argument: No, nobody’s suggesting rounding up 12 million people by force. The alternative is to enforce the law. Deport those who commit crimes. Verify immigration status when possible. And over time, those here illegally will self-deport.

Guess what? Opponents were right. Illegals are going home. A Washington think tank, the Center for Immigration Studies, released a study Wednesday reporting that stepped-up enforcement efforts are working. The population of illegals has declined 11 percent in the past year, from 12.5 million to 11.2 million.

The economy certainly has something to do with it. New home construction is down; those who are employed in housing may have returned to their home countries to await a revival. if so, efforts to secure the borders will be essential to manage the future flow of illegals.

The immigration debate has long been based on false choices — either round them all up or let them stay.â€