I believe we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform that gives those already here a path to legal citizenship. It is ridiculous to argue at this point about plans that include sending immigrants back. For one thing that involves anywhere from 12 to 20 million people, no one knows exactly how many.

This means that we have 12 to 20 million people many of whom are working and have families in the United States. Some have children who were born in the United states and are citizens by birth. They are part of our economy paying at least sales taxes, some would argue they pay state and federal income taxes.

Many immigrants do not very glamorous jobs. They clean our hotels and motels, they cook in restaurants, they mow our grass and tend our garden's. They are hard working. They came here to feed families so it is unfair that they they become the focus in our immigration debate. It is corporate America that provided them jobs and the Government that turned a blind eye to this Corporate law breaking.

Many people are sensitive to immigration because of the outsourcing and insourcing of jobs Americans used to do. As the unemplyment rate goes higher and higer immigrants become the designated scapegoats in a political battle for control of the national and state governments.

One of the biggest complaints about immigration is that they use our social services system which becomes a huge subsidy for Big corporations who get away with violating prevailing wage, hour and work place safety laws. They pay them a pittance and Middle Class America through its taxes picks up the tab for housing, food stamps, education and other services. This on top of losing their jobs is a lot to bear.

This provides one of the best arguements for legalization. If legalized, they would have Social Security cards which would insure that business had to pay at least minimum wage and would have to adhere to wage, hour and workplace safety laws. This would end the pressure to bring in more low wage workers and would guarantee that they payed taxes to help pay for support. We could then write laws that provided for a more sensible way to control immigration.