I believe the first step in meaningful immigration reform is to fully enforce the immigration laws we already have. What good will new laws do us when we don't enforce the ones we have? The second step is full funding and support for the Border Patrol, the INS, and ICE. These agencies currently do not have enough money, men, or equipment to do their jobs. The next step is real border security, and that doesn't mean building a wall. Even Tancredo admits a wall won't work. We need to use modern technology and a fully funded Border Patrol. We would be better off with 5,000 more fully trained Border Patrol agents on the border than with 5,000 National Guard troops who are not trained for border enforcement. We need to hold employers accountable for who they hire, but also make it easier for them to obey the law. This means better documentation systems and better systems for enforcing expired visas. And we need a system that doesn't just target immigrants, but targets the root economic reasons why they come here. We need to reform the laws so that both immigrants and employers can and will follow them. And we need to hold Mexico to a higher standard in economic and political development so that people don't feel compelled to leave home to survive in the first place.

If Bill stops back in, I hope he will update this with his position on a path to citizenship for the undocumented who are already in the U.S.