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Thursday, April 14, 2005
Our Opinion: Border fixes - the right way and the wrong
Tucson Citizen

The Minuteman Project is midway through its monthlong faux border control mission, so this is a good juncture at which to examine the project's impact on the Arizona-Mexico border.

At the same time, it is encouraging to see a possible glimmer of progress in Washington, D.C., on immigration reform.

Since April 1, fewer illegal immigrants have been arrested in the portion of the Cochise County border patrolled by the Minutemen. But that is mostly because the project has been well publicized in Mexico, with would-be border crossers entering elsewhere or delaying their attempts.

Mexican authorities increase patrols

Mexican law enforcement officials also have stepped up their patrols south of the border, detaining emigrants and smugglers operating near Minutemen territory. That has been effective. It is a tactic that Mexico should implement more often, not just when spurred by political expedience.

Despite fears that the Minutemen would bring violence-prone yahoos into southern Arizona, there have been no reports of illegal activity. One Minuteman who photographed a detained immigrant in a

T-shirt with a mocking slogan was bounced out of the project - a credit to organizers.

But the deployment has had detrimental effects. Because of fears of "migrant hunters," some Mexican citizens are not entering the United States legally to shop. That has badly hurt businesses in Douglas and other border communities where the Minutemen are operating.

Amateurs hinder Border Patrol efforts

And although the Minutemen say they want to help the Border Patrol, they are more of a hindrance. The amateur border watchers and other groups watching them have been tripping sensors, sending Border Patrol agents on fruitless hunts for illegal immigrants.

If there is a benefit to come from the Minutemen, it is the international publicity focused on border issues, which have become routine to Arizonans but remain largely invisible to the rest of the nation.

There also was good news on the immigration front this week from an unlikely place: Washington, D.C.

Two Republicans promise reform

Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas said they will introduce "comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would address border security as well as the economic and political realities" that have drawn millions of immigrants to the United States.

The two said they would embrace President Bush's call for a legally enforceable guest worker program, but not amnesty for illegal immigrants now in this country.

That is far better than the silly proposal recently announced that would require American citizens to carry passports when returning from visits to Mexico and Canada.

The time for reform is right.

A national survey by the National Immigration Forum found that 3 of 4 Americans support a program that includes a guest worker program, family reunification and a path to legal residency for illegal immigrants already here. Those polled also overwhelmingly said the immigration system is broken. They want to replace an illegal immigration flow with a legal flow.

As the Minutemen try to solve immigration problems the wrong way, Congress - pushed by an increasingly impatient public - may finally be inching closer to fixing this mess the right way.