Pro-immigrant groups urge reform

Plans include rallies, pressuring lawmakers

By Leslie Berestein
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

March 3, 2007

SAN DIEGO – Just as Congress has taken up the immigration debate once more this week, immigrant-rights groups are stepping up their efforts to persuade lawmakers to pass reforms that would allow millions of undocumented immigrants a chance to legalize their status.

This week in San Diego, some of the organizers behind last April's large pro-immigrant march met to draw up plans for the next several months. This includes a rally in mid-April, citizenship drives, voter registration, getting people to call congressional representatives and sending delegates to Washington, D.C.

My 2 cents on this issue is this: It is not possible or feasible to deport or return every illegal alien from US soil to his own country. However, I believe that no one who has entered the country illegally should be allow to apply for citizenship until and unless they return to their country of origin and get in line. It is not fair to those who have waited patiently for our inept and grossly inadequate immigration system to process their requests. Those who are in the country illegally should be allowed to apply for a visa which would require them to pay a fine and all back taxes not paid since they began working illegally. A payment schedule could be set up with the penalty being confiscation of property and deportation for failure to make payments. More resources need to allotted to the immigration process in materials, money and manpower to make the process reasonable. It only takes a few minutes to get a tourist visa in Mexico and a few months to obtain am FM3 Visa which allows you to to business. The wait for a US visa can be up to two years.

But first of all, the border needs to be secured! Locked down tight so that only those with permission can enter. Otherwise, the whole process is vain and futile. -mm