Congressional compromise on immigration is vital

Senators say that when they return to Washington after their two-week Easter recess they will get back to work on a compromise immigration reform bill, but the need for compromise lies as much with the House as within the Senate.
By most accounts, Senate leaders had reached a compromise late last week, but it fell apart when Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid became suspicious of Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist's ability to stave off attempts by some members of his party to amend the bill. Reid also wanted assurance that Senate Democrats would have a role when a House-Senate conference committee convened to hammer out a compromise between the two chambers.
Different approaches
The Senate bill has less popular appeal; it is more nuanced and more practical. The House bill simply sounds good -- illegal immigrants are criminals who should be thrown out and the Mexican border must be sealed -- but it would be impossible to enforce.
For one thing, a 700-mile fence, whether it be made of wire, mortar, electronic sensors or a combination, would cost $10 billion and take years to construct. Even then, it would not be impenetrable.
As to the illegals already here, no one -- not even the most enthusiastic of the House bill's sponsors -- actually thinks we have the manpower or the national will to round up 11 million or more illegal immigrants and their families (many of those families with children who are citizens because they were born here) and begin deporting them.
That is not to say that better border control and enforcement isn't necessary. But placing the accent on the southern border reinforces the impression that all of the illegal immigrants in the United States came here through Mexico.
Millions of illegal immigrants are from Asia, Europe, South America and Africa, having arrived here with visas for travel, study or temporary work. The visas expired, but the students and travelers and workers stayed. That's how many of the 9/11 hijackers came to be in the United States, by the way.
The Senate approach, championed by Arizona Republican John McCain and Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy and supported in principle by President Bush, would offer illegal immigrants an avenue -- no, a long road -- to legality and citizenship. Illegal immigrants would have to make themselves known, pay $2,000 in fines and any back taxes and survive background checks in order to get a green card. Citizenship would only come years later, after they demonstrated a command of English and an understanding of the Constitution and laws of the land.
It's been done
Those are high hurdles, but they are no higher than those cleared by generations of immigrants to America. Those immigrants succeeded with grit, determination and, in many cases, the strong support of family members and nationality groups already established in America.
If millions of immigrants who arrived here in the first half of the 20th century -- many of them refugees from war, famine and persecution -- could become citizens and prosper, today's generation of immigrants should be able to do the same.
If an immigration bill similar to that offered by McCain and Kennedy were to pass, illegal immigrants who chose to ignore the opportunity being given to them would be subject to deportation. Employers who chose to continue to hire illegal immigrants would be subject to fines stiff enough to make continuation of the practice hazardous to the health of their businesses.
Americans have come to look too often for the easy answer. Too many politicians have become willing to tell them that there is a simple answer.
The problems of illegal immigration faced by the United States are deep and difficult, and any legislative remedy is going to have to be complex. And if a workable immigration law is passed, the nation will have to demonstrate a willingness to pursue the policies of that legislation for years to come.
It will not be easy and it will not be cheap, but in the end result would be a stronger, more secure nation made up of citizens who want to be here and who were willing do what was necessary to stay and become a part of the fabric of America.