As the battle on immigration intensifies, I am finding it increasingly necessary to clarify my position. As I watch people rally strongly for or against proposed laws for illegals, it seems to me that both sides are wrong, as compelling as their arguments may be.

First of all, let me be abundantly clear: illegal immigration is a crime, and that fact should not be brushed away! The individuals who are here illegally have often committed multiple crimes, including fraud and identity theft, to stay in the country. This is a fact that any approach to solving the problem MUST recognize.

The problem is, we have many decades of BAD foreign policy to thank for the situation becoming as out of control as it has become. When Reagan and Clinton declared amnesties, it was an open invitation for other illegals to cross, in the hopes that future administrations would do the same. And it was a slap in the face for legal immigrants, who had spent much time and money pursuing citizenship when they would have been much better off coming here illegally.

Not to mention, it's patently racist. As we propose amnesty programs for Latin American citizens, we fail to extend the same courtesy to Haitians, Europeans, Asians, and others who may have arrived here illegally.

We can't undo those decades of failed foreign policy with a magic wand, however. Nor can we undo it by enacting stiffer penalties against illegals. We're not enforcing laws already on the books; what makes us think we will enforce a new set of stricter laws?

As much as I would like to imagine a world where we could identify these illegals and deport them, the sheer numbers make it highly improbable. 11 million illegals outnumbers the entire number of our armed forces and state guard units. Plus, the only way you will find them is by going into the homes of ALL Hispanic families, including legal immigrants and citizens, and jeopardizing their rights. We simply cannot embrace the concept of doing away with the Constitution under the guise of UPHOLDING the Constitution, no matter how popular that concept may be with the GOP higher ups at the time. Added to all of this is the fact that many illegal immigrant families have children who were born in the United States and, due to that fact, are citizens. To change THAT, you would need to amend the Constitution, as the citizenship is a right granted them under the 14th amendment.

Put simply, we need a way for illegals to self identify. While there will be many illegals who don't do that, their numbers will be reduced, making them simpler to locate. Those who wish to become legal residents, and, eventually, citizens, should be required to stand in line to obtain citizenship, pay fines and back taxes, and become proficient in English. The McCain proposal is probably the most sensible solution I have seen to date, although it is certainly NOT a perfect compromise.

As for asset forfeiture, I am never a fan of such action. Even among the illegals we choose to deport, we should allow them to sell off their assets and receive the profits. To fail to do this would be in questionable defiance of the 13th amendment prohibiting slavery and conditions of involuntary servitude. Most disturbing, however, is it is this aspect of proposed solutions that begins to evoke images of totalitarian states such as Nazi Germany.

Any proposal to deal with this situation must not center on the mistakes of the past, but must center on solutions for the future. Even if we could deport all 11 million illegals, it would do little good, as many of them would be back across the border in short order unless we secure the borders. And it's a tad hypocritical of many of us, whose ancestors arrived without the financial means we would otherwise expect of these immigrants to enter this country.

This is an issue that threatens to divide us as a nation. We cannot allow that to happen. We need to arrive at a solution that is in the best interests of ALL Americans, that creates a secure border to stop future immigration, and that effectively deals with the illegals already here. Of the proposals that have been bandied about, I find the McCain proposal offering the most promise. NONE of the solutions, however, could be considered remotely perfect.