Randy, Thanks for posting this article. I agree with your answer to amnesty - "just say NO!" Illegal is just that -- and we owe these people none of the benefits of citizenship.

I agree, there shouldn't be any discusssion when it comes to amnesty. We know what happened the last time that soultion was used, so what's to say it won't happen again? I do think there are plenty of jobs which American's don't want to do, especially in the farm industry, so to deal with that there needs to be a well managed 'guest worker' program, one which can track where those 'guest workers' are, so when they're done they return home again. You wait your turn to enter this country, just as everyone else has to, or you find a way to make life better for yourself and your famiy in your own country. If your country doesn't offer you an opportunity to get ahead, then replace them with people who will and if that means having to use force to do so, then so be it.

lost in the hub-bub of sound bite discourse is an underlying reality - America's borders have always been porous - Arizona's have been particularly porous because Arizonans made money off lax immigration policy for the last 100 years. so did the garment industry in the northeast, and construction contractors throughout the midwest, southwest, and left coast. also lost in the sound bites is the reality that people come to America because they wish to live in a capitalist, pluralist economy governed by the rule of law - just the kind of hard working people we need if we are going to continue as a vibrant, and often solitary, light in a dark and dangerous world. my great grandfather came to America specificly to serve in the Turner Rifles during the Civil War, and earned his citizenship doing it. but citizenship was easier to earn then, and I wonder if he could have navigated the legislate maze that is current immigration policy. could your ancestors? could you, today, if you had to? what gives the cuban a free pass but turns the salvadorian away? why do we tolerate the pressence of any member of the bin-laden family, and there are quite a few of them in the Boston area, but have no stomach for an african fleeing religious and social persecution by islamic terrorists in the Sudan? it isn't the immigrants who are the problem - these people give up everything they have in the quest for a better life. sometimes it includes their own lives, as the story of Ilean Rodriquez tragicly points out. the problem IS the policy, one that let nazis into america on vatican passports, but not the jews, gypsies, and homosexuals without papers who were their victims. the jews at least had Isreal, the others just got screwed a second time for no reason other than who they were. during Mariel II, I was walking along the beach in Florida looking at all the rafts (some nothing more that airplane tire inner tubes lashed to pallets) and came on a beautifully crafter fiberglass sailing dinghy, maybe 6 feet long with outriggers and a fixed rigid triangle for a sail. my first and lasting thought was "How can a society survive if it has no place in it for someone with these talents?". can we really afford to take the chance of turning others away who could have the same skill sets and deternimation? if we can, what does that say for us as a nation?

Hello Randy: I totally agree There is no room for discussions on amnesty the answer is no. Thoose who break our laws need to be punished that includes criminal immigrants and the companies who employ them booth are breaking our laws.

No amnesty!

There should be absolutely no amnesty for illegal aliens. I know a couple of aliens/immigrants that have been in the process of obtaining citizenship legally for a few years. U.S. citizenship is not something that should be taken lightly or just granted to people that ignore or bypass our laws. We already have fair immigration laws and a system that would have worked if our political leaders and bureaucrats in Washington D.C. had done their job. Each year we admit more aliens/immigrants legally into this country than any other nation. We also grant more aliens/immigrants citizenship status than any other country. We should punish the employers that hire illegal/aliens with large fines, seize their assets and some jail time. Most of these employers are paying low wages under the table and avoiding paying federal, state taxes , social security taxes , workmans compensation and other fees. If these employers faced serious consequences for their practices they would not hire illegal workers and they would stop coming here if they could not get jobs. Our borders and ports of entry should be secured and enforce the laws we already have.

I agree that "there is no room for discussion on the question of amnesty". I do believe, however that proper procedures should be followed for all that want to be Americians should be given the opertunity to do just that. Citizenship is a privlidge not to be taken lightly. Thomas Jefferson writes "There is nothing more unequal, than the equal treatment of unequal people." We should offer equal protection under the law, not equality through laws. It should not be just given away like some cheap party favor.

Thank you Randy. My grandparents came here through legal channels. They would be outraged at what is happening now if they were alive. I'm glad your here for us.

I agree with no amnesty. The laws were established for the protection of our borders and that is one of the main responsibilities of the Federal government as established by the founding Fathers. I do not get to choose which laws I want to obey or do I with no consequences. There is a process for legal immigration and it should be obeyed.

No to amnesty. My Polish Grandparents came to America along with several children, one of which was my Father. My Grandfather became an American citizen. He only allowed English in his home. As a consequence, his children grew up here in America and all were successful, hard working folks. They worked for their social security and health benefits, nothing was handed to them. Like Freedom isn't free and neither is living and becoming an American citizen in America isn't free--one has to earn the privilege. .

Absolutely no. Most are here for two reasons: corruption in the Mexico government; getting the 'freebies' in the US. I am married to a person of Hispanic heritage. As such I hear many conversations at family gatherings. Those who are the most distant in educaton level are of a common thread - informing the yournger ones they should take advantage of the free child health care, free doctor care, food stamps, public housing ect, ect ect. They have no real interest in being a contributing member of this society, only a parasite. With checks being sent back to Mexico from the US accounting for the number one value industry in Mexico, no wonder their president makes snide remarks about us sending his people back. You want in? Do it the same way other legal people do! Since when would I get "amnesty" for doing something illegal?

I fully agree with the "NO AMNESTY" comments but also think it should be carried further to include "NO AUTOMATIC CITIZENSHIP FOR CHRILDREN BORN OF ILLEGAL PARENTS". We American citizen expect our government to require an orderly and legal entrance into this country. In spite of the President's intention we must hold our ground. If not, why should any citizen comply with existing laws

The immigrants who went through Ellis Island many years ago obeyed the law and went through all the health checks and procedures to legally come to this country. Today, these illegal immigrants dont care about the law - obviously. That is such a blatent warning sign that seems to be overlooked. Also, should amnesty be granted, what could possibly stop a sudden surge of additional immigrants pouring in from all over the world flooding into the US borders at the last minute? These folks are not documented, so how would anyone know if they came yesterday or a year ago? I'd be more open to amnesty if healthcare was not passed, since it's now law, amnesty has to go - how can we support them? With nationalized healthcare, the citizens who have fought for this country and who have worked for a living are now responsible for so many others that have not paid a dime into the system. Years ago, immigrants never looked for handouts. They worked hard and earned their place- and paid for their healthcare. Today, illegal immigrants protest in California because they want free healthcare. Has anyone even thought about the ramifications if amnesty occured, and how we will be able to provide medical care to all of these folks that aren't even on the books? We are already in debt so bad that we are almost to the point where we cannot even pay the interest on the money we owe. Plain and simple - the US is almost bankrupt. Paying the bills is reality, and I don't understand where all this additional money to support healthcare for all of these additional people is going to come from. I am certainly not opposed to immigration, but I am opposed to granting people who intentionally break the law citizenship. If immigrants want to come to America, they need to go through the process. And with amnesty, we would be compelled to turn away many law-abiding people from other countries who are already trying to go through the process legally. So we turn away the honest from India, Taiwan, China, and other countries- some who even have college degrees- but then turn around and reward those who deliberately break the law. None of this makes sense...