No easy solution for illegals

Illegal immigration solutions must be reasonable and fair.

There are no easy solutions to the problem of illegal immigration in our country and our state. But this much is true: Proposals must be based on sound reasoning.

At times that fundamental is missing. Recommendations to round up all illegals and ship them out are impractical due to costs and logistics. Proposals for complete and unconditional amnesty are neither reasonable nor fair.

But somewhere in the middle are solutions that deserve consideration. All of them should be based on helping illegals remain in the American work force.

Many communities in Kansas -- Salina included -- suffer from a lack of skilled labor. We've heard community leaders say that expansion plans are on hold until sufficient eligible workers become available.

In recent years, concerns about labor shortages took our community off the list of locations that were under consideration for a new facility. Last month Schult Homes announced it was closing its Plainville plant due to a lack of available labor.

Most illegals have few language skills, making them unsuitable for some of these jobs. But by taking entry-level positions, they gain experience and knowledge that help them move up the employment ladder.

There is some merit to the argument that employers wouldn't need illegals if they paid higher wages that would attract a better pool of applicants. But it's also true that competitive wages are little help in attracting workers for gritty jobs on drilling rigs, roofing crews and construction. Without illegals, some of these operations would grind to a halt.

Kansas' immigration problems are the result of Congress' failure. Washington has produced no solutions that help employers find workers and that address the free-flow of illegals across our borders. They leave it to states to deal with the problem, dumping another critical issue on our Legislature's plate.

Like it or not, illegals are important to the state's economy. Employers must have them on their payroll in order to stay in business. Any solutions coming out of Topeka must keep that fact in mind.

-- Tom Bell
tbell@salina.com
Editor & Publisher (Kansas) Salina Journal
http://www.saljournal.com/rdnews/story/editorial030608