When my older son turned fourteen, I thought it was time that he started helping me outdoors with various chores in the yard. But I had one rule—he was not allowed to use the gas-powered mower. He protested and his mom joined in, stating she thought he was old enough and that I was being over-protective and “why not let him earn some money, for goodness sakes.”

            Despite the pressure, I stood firm.

            Then one afternoon, I came home from work and noticed that the lawn had been mowed by my son. My wife paid him for his work. I said nothing.

            Maybe I was being too overprotective, I thought to myself. And besides, I don’t have to go out and cut the grass in the sweltering heat.

            My law had been broken, but was it really a law if I wasn’t going to enforce it? On top of that, there was an economic advantage to both of us. My son was willing to do a job that was becoming increasingly more tedious for me as I get older. And he made a few bucks in the process. Everyone was happy.

            This is the way I view the immigration debate currently before Congress. Sure, we have laws against illegal immigration but, until recently, few were clamoring for their enforcement. And as a result, immigrants have come here by the millions seeking The American Dream. You can hardly blame them.  
           Immigrants—legal or otherwise—are for the most part, honest people who are willing to work hard doing jobs that you and I wouldn’t consider doing for the going wages.

            Look into the kitchen of most major restaurants and I am willing to bet there’s a dishwasher who hails from south of the border. Last time you pulled into a gas station, who filled up your tank? Did he speak English? And when you had your car washed, did the people who dried off your car say “thanks” or “gracias?” Do you like eating strawberries on your cereal for breakfast? If you had to pay double or triple what you are now paying, would you like them as much or would you switch to sliced bananas?

            We are in the middle of having an 800 square foot addition built on our home. The footing was dug by a Mexican excavator; the foundation was built by an Italian mason. The structure was framed—in three days—by a group of Ecuadorians. The deck and much of the work inside the structure was done by a team of Polish carpenters. The electricians barely speak English. The lady who bills out the jobs is Peruvian. The only people I would consider “Americans”—we are, after all a nation of immigrants—are the architect, the foreman and two of the plumbers.  I have no idea as to the legal status of any of these people and I am not about to ask them. But all of them have been polite and hard-working. And their work has been first-class.

            Politicians are stuck between a rock and a hard place on this issue. If they come down too hard on illegal immigration they will be cast as mean-spirited and uncaring. And frankly, you cannot simply evict 11 million people who have been living, working and raising families here. It is un-American.

            Our borders are frighteningly porous. Something must be done to stop the constant trickle—and in some cases—the deluge of illegal immigrants coming into America. So let’s hope a realistic and enforceable piece of legislation is drafted in Congress and signed by President Bush. We need a law that will keep America safe while, at the same time, recognizing the valuable economic contribution immigrants are making to this country. n