We must acknowledge the 12 million people who are in the United States illegally. The vast majority of these people came here to try to make better lives for themselves and their families. It is time for us to face this situation responsibly and bring these people into the system. We often forget that America is a country of immigrants; I myself came here with my family when I was 9 years old. I came to a land that allows all people to succeed though hard work, no matter where they come from. Our rich diversity is one of the greatest strengths of the United States, a characteristic that distinguishes us from all other nations, and it is something we cannot risk losing. We must continue to be a beacon to the rest of the world.

Let’s start by forgetting about sending undocumented aliens home. It’s not going to happen. But without a comprehensive upheaval of immigration legislation, they will continue to be forced into the shadows of society. It should not be surprising that there are criminal elements to a population that is forced to live outside the law. So let’s bring them into the system. Let’s make avenues towards citizenship available so that they may legitimately work and pay into the system.

Legalization must not be done, however, in a way that punishes those who have come into the U.S legally and who have maintained their legal status. The process of legalizing undocumented aliens should be undertaken after clearing the backlog of cases currently in the pipeline. In other words, the undocumented aliens should be placed in line after those immigrants who have come to the U.S. legally.

It’s time to be practical about the matter, find a way to deal with those already here and set up a sensible approach to immigration.