My issue with the entire immigration issue is pretty much summed up by Accella4.4 who sees the forest for the trees. The socio-economic burden placed on the United States by illegal immigrants is undeniable. It is taxing our system to the point where everyone feels the impact.

Frankly, I don't know why all of these people are protesting. It's not like we haven't been providing amnesty to immigrants. There have been numerous acts of amnesty granted by the United States since the Amnesty act of 1986. Since 1986, we've allowed 6 million immigrants to bypass the normal immigration process and have asked for nothing in return, the great majority having come from Latin American nations.

That being said, we are certainly not going to displace the 12 million illegal immigrants who live among us now. Most are here to stay. Hell, we couldn't even get the residents of New Orleans moved out - before and after the hurricane struck.

If immigration reform is necessary, then fine. But it cannot and should not pass without an order to seal the border. Somewhere and somehow the bleeding has to stop.

Doing the math, 6 million + 12 million = 18 million people that we will have allowed into this country over the past 20 years OVER AND ABOVE NORMAL IMMIGRATION PROCESSES.

Do you really think the US can suck it up? It's got to stop.

We've allowed El Presidente Fox to fix his economic and society ills by paving the way for Mexicans to come across the border by the droves. What better way to fix the cost of supporting the lower class by simply sending them away?

Meanwhile, we have marchers across the country on May 1, waving the Mexican flag, yelling Viva La Raza, Viva Mexico, not understanding that they were really booted out of their country by a government who no longer wants them. And yet they demand not only to be part of this country, but they also feel that the American government roll out the red carpet and embrace them with open arms and automatically accord them full rights of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident?

It's like going to a popular restaurant with a group of 20 people without a dinner reservation - do you expect them to go out and buy a table and chairs and find an extra chef to cook the food?

To march and complain about something that is inevitable (amnesty) to me is ridiculous and redundant. They see only the forest. The trees are invisible because they have been stripped of their leaves.

We need to do the following:

PICK AND DATE AND SEAL THE DAMN U.S.-MEXICAN BORDER. After that point, anyone who wants to enter the United States on a residency basis had damn well follow the immigration process. That includes having a financial sponsor, a place to live, and a reason for being here (education, job, relatives).

All previously documented overstayers re-register with the DOJ and DOS. The entire process of renewing visas needs to be overhauled. A tourist must exit and reenter the country every 6 months, a situation which actually creates overstays. It needs to be fixed.

All undocumented immigrants must be documented. Anyone with a criminal record - adios. Anyone below retirement age must actively seek lawful employment, or its vayas con dios. We must make hiring an illegal alien becomes a serious criminal offense.

An immigration policy has no value if there is no means of deterrenting and apprehending illegal entrants and sending them back when caught.

This doesn't apply to the Canadian border. Let's keep that one open. In another 10 years, I'll be crossing the Canada border illegally if things get any worse.