Time to act: Immigration crisis requires immediate work, federal funds

There could be a lively debate about why the United States is facing what is fast becoming a true emergency at its southern border.

The blame could be placed at the feet of President Barack Obama because of his seeming inability to understand what happens when you reward those who break the law, all the while expecting taxpayers to foot the bill for the consequences.

The fault could also sit quite comfortably on the laps of the members of Congress -- both Republicans and Democrats -- whose gamesmanship with what they see as a significant voting bloc resulted in no one willing to step up and do what is right and necessary.

But no matter where the finger points, we have a problem that has been getting worse for decades -- and no one doing anything about it.

And now, in addition to all that, we have a flood of Central American immigrants -- many of whom are unaccompanied minors -- sitting in holding areas and no plan for what we are going to do about it.

Who is going to pay for the costs that are going to be associated with this crisis?

Before we send another dollar to Central America -- and it is already too late for that; millions are already promised.

Before we help another nation with its "domestic concerns" and drug cartels.

And before we make another bad foreign policy decision.

We need to take care of the states that are going to have to absorb the costs and get the personnel and equipment in place to close the border and to send these illegal immigrants -- and that is what they are -- home.

We need to speak sternly to our neighbors to the south and encourage them to get the message that we are not going to clean up their mess.

We need an immigration policy that deals not only with the illegal immigrants we already have here, but those who might arrive in the future.

We need guest worker visas and the resources to police who is here legally and who is here illegally.

We need to close our borders, once and for all, to those who seek to sneak across them.

And then, we need to make it clear that anyone who wants to come to the United States through the proper channels -- and who is willing to do the work to become a citizen -- is welcome. We need to offer a path to citizenship that has rules and consequences.

We have emphasize that if you choose to ignore our laws and to continue to avoid the immigration line, you will be sent back home, period.

There is no more time to be wishy washy. And we cannot wait around for Washington to get a clue.

Now is the time to get it done -- and it looks like the citizens are going to have to insist on it.

No more sitting around shaking our heads. It is time to speak up -- before it is too late.

Published in Editorials on June 21, 2014 11:45 PM