"Inflamed by election-year and Tea Party rhetoric" immigration reform still necessary.

[pampango]

http://www.aurorasentinel.com/email_push/opinion/article_f04537a0-117c-11e0-8556-001cc4c002e0.html

Inflamed by election-year and Tea Party rhetoric, many conservatives are moving with their populist base toward a demand to try to oust as many of the 12 million or so illegal immigrants in the country and even attempt to rewrite the 14th Amendment, which allows anyone born in the United States to claim citizenship.

On the other side is a majority of Americans, businesses and legislators who want comprehensive reform, some modicum of earned-amnesty for at least some immigrants, and a system that prevents future undocumented residents from flooding the country. That's the direction the country should take.

Conservatives are talking out of both sides of their mouths on this issue. They must now answer not only to cold-hearted and irrational anti-immigration fanatics like Tom Tancredo, but they must also answer to corporate America, which bankrolls conservative campaigns and has a critical need for the cheap labor illegal immigrants provide.

The middle road is the only answer here. Rather than piecemeal more ineffective legislation, Congress must re-examine plans similar to the McCain-Kennedy measure, which sought to humanely, wisely and effectively deal with the 12 million illegal immigrants in the country. More importantly, it sought to deal with giving businesses accurate tools to ensure prospective employees are either citizens or have valid work credentials. Comprehensive reform addresses the very real need for labor supplied by these illegal immigrants, and it allows the United States to ensure that the entire country is safe, rather than just the borders. It's that kind of real reform Americans want, not xenophobic dramatics.