Immigration causes the key

Charles Krauthammer claims in his April 6 column that Democrats aren’t serious about border enforcement yet. Over the last decade, the United States has spent over $90 billion on securing the southern frontier.

That there are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is the result of attempts to secure the border, not an unwillingness to do so. The economic disparity between the United States and its poorer southern neighbors brings folks north; increased border security keeps them here because this is where the jobs are, and it has become far too risky to cross as frequently as in previous times. Not wanting to be separated from their families, to whom they historically returned on a yearly basis, migrant workers brought them north.

The problem with the debate on immigration reform is that it often tilts at windmills instead of addressing the real issues, including the impact of U.S. foreign and economic policies in nations from which the undocumented come. Let’s find a commonsense solution that addresses the root causes of immigration and that benefits both the U.S. and those seeking entry, either temporarily or permanently.

Gregory Cunningham

Spokane