By Dr. Juan Hernandez

When it comes to immigration, it seems the chaos on the border is exceeded only by the chaos in Washington.

 That is especially curious since Members of Congress are usually famous for being able to read which way the political wind is blowing.  In this case, however, it appears they would be well served to commit to reading the results of a recent, reputable bi-partisan national survey of voter attitudes on immigration. 

 What its findings show is not at all startling, and is indeed testimony to the common sense of US Americans. 

 With solutions to border, immigration, and guest worker issues so logical and obvious, it can only be the handiwork of feuding Washington special interest groups to have befuddled and complicated what is clear and simple.

 Most noteworthy for Congress among the findings is that two-thirds of all voters say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who favors the type of immigration approach identified in the survey! 

 Here are highlights from the findings of a bi-partisan poll on immigration taken in March by Republican pollster Lance Tarrance, and Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, commissioned by the National Immigration Forum.

 The survey shows that fully 75% of likely voters favor a proposal with the following components:

P Registration of undocumented workers as temporary guest workers,

P Temporary work visas for seasonal and temporary workers,

P Provides newly registered workers with a multi-ear process for legal

       residency and eventual citizenship,

P Provides newly registered workers with no preferential treatment for                                             

      citizenship,

P Provides penalties for workers or employees who violate these laws

P Puts a priority on reuniting close family members.

Seems logical and fair enough!  Which is undoubtedly why it enjoys the support of 78% of Republicans, 77% of Independents, and 70% of Democrats, and 70% of Hispanics and 78% of whites, alike.  Moreover, 69% of likely voters said they would be more likely to support a Congressional candidate who favored a comprehensive approach to reform, rather than the ad-hoc, piecemeal approaches currently working their way through Congress.  Enforcement-only strategies miss the point, and the majority of people recognize them for what they are:  emotional reactions that do not recognize nor solve the problem.  Everyone recognizes that the system is broken and needs to be fixed.  But let’s not make the cure worse than the disease.

Most Americans, including myself, have legitimate concerns about the need to keep our borders secure from terrorists.  This is no trivial concern in a post-September 11th world in which our intelligence services continue to uncover evidence of terrorist intentions.

 Our message to Congress should be this:  “Let’s prioritize this issue! Let’s bring together the political leadership of both nations, immigration leaders, Hispanic leaders, and other interested parties to start hammering out the framework of a reform proposal that is comprehensive, bipartisan, fair and worthy of the people of two great nations. Why not create a U.S.-Mexico Congressional Summit in Washington, D.C. that brings some sanity out of the chaos?”

 I believe it is time now for Congress to put the issue of immigration on a front burner before the next election cycle causes the issue to become mired in election-year politics. 

Fair, pragmatic, bipartisan, comprehensive-yet-fairly-simple solutions are possible.  The time is now for Congress to wake-up and lead on immigration reform.  Survey results clearly show the American people stand prepared to politically reward those do so.