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The immigration debate is once again dominating the news as members of Congress focus on the long-neglected difficulty of fixing our country's failed immigration laws.<br><br>American lawmakers are now at a critical point. Enforcement-only legislation will not perform and hasn't worked. Preceding efforts to resolve this issue by focusing exclusively on border security have failed miserably.<br><br>In reality, during the past decade, the U.S. tripled the quantity of agents on the border, quintupled the [http://www.oconnorscatholicsupply.com/vestments-surplice-c-2_90_472.html surplice] budget, toughened our enforcement methods and heavily fortified urban entry points.<br><br>However throughout the exact same time period, America saw record levels of illegal immigration, porous borders, a cottage sector designed for smugglers and document forgers and tragic deaths in our deserts.<br><br>We have to understand from our mistakes, not repeat them. What we want is extensive, bipartisan immigration reform that deals smartly with the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S.<br><br>Most are relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful residents or workers holding jobs that Americans do not want. Individuals currently right here who are not a threat to our security, but who operate difficult, pay taxes and are understanding English, really should be allowed to earn permanent residence.<br><br>The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and others, contains the needed elements of reform and gives the basis for fixing our system. It combines toughness with fairness, producing a new temporary visa [http://www.eastbayretrofit.com/ retrofitting] system that provides a legal flow of workers.<br><br>This "break-the-mold" worker system would substantially diminish illegal immigration by producing a legal avenue for individuals to enter the U.S., some thing that barely exists today. Present immigration laws supply just 5,000 annual permanent visas and 66,000 temporary visas for vital lesser-skilled workers, in no way meeting the annual demand for 500,000 such workers.<br><br>In addition, decreasing the decade-long backlog in family members-based immigration would reunite households quicker and make it unlikely that individuals would cross the border illegally in order to be with their loved ones.<br><br>Congress and the administration must act wisely as they weigh their selections. We've had enough "rapid fixes" that have created an [http://www.oconnorscatholicsupply.com/religious-articles-chaplets-c-1_612.html blessed sacrament] already unworkable system worse. We cannot control our borders - or improve our national security - till we enact complete immigration reform.<br><br>Deborah Notkin is president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. - NU