We need a coherent immigrant policy

Dear Editor,

In 2006, when we had approximately 11.6 million undocumented immigrants in the United States (Department of Homeland Security 2007), then president George Bush said: "Some in this country argue that the solution is to deport every illegal immigrant, and that any proposal short of this amounts to amnesty". He went on to say "I disagree. It is neither wise, nor realistic to round up millions of people, many with deep roots in the United States, and send them across the border".  He then followed with the suggestion: "There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant, and a program of mass deportation". That statement encapsulates our present situation as well, i.e. a large population of undocumented residents (approximately 11 million according to DHS 2024) who have become interwoven in our nation both economically and culturally. Finding a rational middle ground makes as much sense today as it did then. We should be willing to talk to people we disagree with and we will see that we have more in common than what separates us.

I urge people of good faith on both sides of this issue to frankly think about and discuss with each other what a coherent immigration policy could look like. That process may bring us to that middle ground and with any luck turn down the temperature on our national discourse.

Lew Lama

Wyoming Township