President George W. Bush formally announced in a nationwide address last week, his plans for dealing with the problem of illegal immigration.  Like most of the nation, my reaction to the plan is mixed.  Overall, I feel his plan is a step in the right direction, but I do feel that more needs to be done to stop the wave of illegal aliens entering this country.  It is time for Washington D.C. to take a tough stance on this issue.

Bushs proposal to use National Guard troops to help stem the tide of illegal immigration across the Mexican border is a proposal that I fully support.  Before we can even begin to address the estimated 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens already in the country, we must first secure the permeable border along Mexico. However, Bush said that the 6,000 Guardsmen will not serve in a law enforcement capacity, but as assistance to the Border Patrol.  I am concerned that the limited supporting role of the National Guard may not go far enough to stop the leaks along the border.

This problem is a crisis and the American people expect the federal government to secure the countrys borders.  It is a matter of national security and should be our first priority.  However, the U.S. Senate rejected Sen. Johnny Isaksons (R-GA) amendment that would have required that the nations borders be secured before the implementation of any other aspects of a comprehensive immigration reform package.  While closer to the House position, Isaksons amendment could rightly be seen as a workable compromise between the House (border security only) and Senate (guest worker/amnesty with limited border enforcement).  If passed, Isaksons approach would have guaranteed a non-repeat of 1986, when Congress promised border security but delivered only amnesty. Yet his amendment only drew 33 supporters.  By considering guest worker programs alongside border tightening, the Senate is continuing to turn a blind eye on those who would cross our borders illegally.

President Bush suggested that we should provide illegal aliens a "path to citizenship," such as by allowing them to pay a fine, learn English or prove long-term employment.  Senators also voted 66-33 to preserve a key component that would grant legal status to millions of illegal immigrants.   They did, at least, unanimously adopt an amendment that prohibits immigrants convicted of felonies or three misdemeanors from being eligible for the green cards that would give them permanent legal status.  Simply put, I am ideologically opposed to the idea of allowing someone who broke the lawany lawto receive something as cherished as American citizenship. As soon as they cross that border illegally, they have broken the law.  It does not matter how many requirements illegal immigrants are made to meet.  It is unfair that they should jump ahead in line, in front of legal immigrants, to obtain citizenship.

Amnesties clearly do not solve the problem of illegal immigration.  About 2.8 million people received lawful permanent residence ("green cards") in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a result of the amnesties contained in the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986.  The 1986 amnesty almost certainly increased illegal immigration, as the relatives of newly legalized aliens came to the United States to join their family members and others rushed across the border in hopes of participating in another amnesty in the future.  The flow of illegals grew dramatically during the years of the amnesty to more than 800,000 a year.

Legal and illegal immigration are intimately linked, and not separate phenomena, as is commonly supposed.  Between 1987 and 1996, nearly 1.3 million green cards were given out to illegal aliens as part of the normal "legal" immigration processseparate from the 2.8 million illegal aliens who received legal status under the 1986 IRCA amnesty.  The fact that the last amnesty actually attracted more illegal immigration should give serious pause to those now advocating another amnesty.  Illegal immigration can be controlled only with a strategy that combines border enforcement with efforts to turn off the magnets that attract illegal aliens in the first place  jobs and green cards.

While President Bushs plan is a step in the right direction, I feel that more must be done to secure our nations border.  We can not even begin to address the millions of illegal immigrants already in the country, until we cut off the massive influx of aliens occurring every day at our border.  An amnesty or guest worker program should not even be a topic of discussion until the root of this problem is dealt with.  I encourage you to write Georgias Congressional delegation and let them know how you feel about this issue.  This is not a partisan issue, it is an American issue.