Putting the illegal immigration debate into perspective

There are several reasons to be sympathetic to “illegal” immigrants from Mexico. A brief history gives another perspective to the situation,

During World War II, the Bracero program was developed by the United States and Mexico together as a guest worker program to relieve farm worker shortages during the war. This revived Mexican labor flowing into America and set the stage for a later ongoing mass immigration.

Part of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act was called the Texas Proviso. This ensured that U.S. employers would be given a pass for hiring undocumented workers. This provision was in effect until the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which legalized 2.3 million Mexican immigrants. In exchange, it mandated employer sanctions for firms that continued to hire unauthorized workers.

Sixty-four percent of all Mexican immigrants arrived prior to 2000, 31 percent between 2000-2009, and 10 percent arrived in 2010 or later — and that is on the decrease.

So, in effect, we willingly allowed Mexicans to come here many, many years ago to fill the need for low-wage, hardworking employees. Over 60 or 70 years, these hard workers became immersed in U.S. culture, raised several generations of their families and basically lived the American life.

I’m not an attorney, but I would suggest that because the state and federal government for more than 60 years failed to enforce the laws created to stop illegal immigration, those who came here during that time should be allowed to continue living in the United States without fear of having their families broken up and being sent back.

As far as stopping the illegal immigrants who have arrived in the recent past, maybe there can be a date established that can be a compromise or we can consider a 7-year statute of limitations. We just need to get this issue resolved and stop the hate.