Our country is headed in the wrong direction with immigration, and it breaks my heart when I talk to people who are directly affected by these political games. There are ridiculous and inhumane anti-immigrant proposals popping up in various states, and they are somehow steering the debate and influencing naive people who don't realize that it's often impossible to become legal if you're here illegally because of our current broken system and that many low-income folks from Latin America who are desperate for greater opportunity don’t have the option to file for legal documentation. There’s also a terrible misconception that people cross the border to steal jobs away from US Americans. The vast majority are friendly people who don’t come with intentions of hurting anyone.

In Oklahoma, where they just passed the strictest law on illegal immigration, many immigrants are leaving and businesses are suffering. The US Americans who want jobs in Oklahoma have jobs, so the loss of the immigrant workers is leaving unfilled holes. The anti-immigrants claim that the money saved by not subsidizing government services for undocumented immigrants will offset this negative economic impact, but they are not eligible for a majority of social services like Medicare, certain housing programs, or food stamps. And if you are one of the few whose job is being stolen by an immigrant then don't blame them; be intentional, look in the mirror and do something about it. Our society is competitive, and if you prove to be accountable and reliable then you will find and keep a job. There are always excuses to make and people to blame if you look for it, and unfortunately immigrants have become the group to blame for our country’s woes. The debate has also given some racists an excuse to be outwardly racist, and they'll look for and exploit whatever reason they find to mask their deep-rooted racism and fear of different cultures.

You can find evidence that immigrants help the economy or evidence that they hurt the economy, and while economic impact is talked about the most it is not driving the true emotion and decisions. Fundamental respect for obeying the law is not the real issue either because many people who use that argument have broken a law that has been put in place for our own safety, whether it’s something as little as jaywalking or speeding.

The real issues are deep-rooted values, openness to change, and cross-cultural experiences or lack thereof. What makes some people accepting and other people fearful of people who are different from them and of the changing color of our nation?

Yes, some immigrants break laws here other than crossing the border and who take advantage of the system (like many U.S. citizens who unnecessarily milk welfare), and we need to limit that. Many immigrants aren’t aware of U.S. laws and customs because there is nobody distributing this important information when they cross the border, legally or illegally. There are also millions who take nothing from the system, who pay taxes, who volunteer in the community and who are 100% law-abiding, so let’s not lump them all into one big category. Right now it’s a small minority that is ruining the reputation of a large population, and fearful anti-immigrants are doing their best to exploit this minority.

Our cultures are different and we need opportunities to intentionally dialogue and learn about how we can replace fear with respect. The real issues need to be voiced and heard from all sides and then dissected so that we understand concerns below the surface. The more we oppress and resist immigrants, the less desire they have to embrace the culture of this country and the weaker and more polarized we become. The U.S. has enough compassion and intelligence to know that deporting the millions of undocumented immigrants here is not a real solution, and that we need to make the best of this situation.

We must place responsibility on the immigrant and non-immigrant communities to build cultural understanding. Immigrants should make efforts to learn U.S. language, culture, customs and laws. The non-immigrant community should be patient and understanding of how challenging it is to adapt to a new country and culture. I direct a nonprofit organization in Boulder County, Intercambio de Comunidades [1], where 300 volunteers teach English to over 1000 immigrant adults each year, which demonstrates that the motivation and effort is there for many immigrants. However, learning a language takes more time than a person who hasn’t learned a second language could ever imagine.

Many immigrant advocates understand that we do need controls on immigration and that open borders is not the answer. So what is the solution? An effective employee verification system should solve the heart of the immigration challenge, but for whatever reason we haven’t yet produced a functional system. People will not cross the border if they lack the documentation they need to get a job. Responsibility would lie on the government to implement an effective system and to punish employers who sidestep it. Now it’s easy for employers to ignore the current law because it is unrealistic and the labor is needed. A solid verification system along with realistic entry quotas can ensure that this is the last time we have this painful immigration debate. Amnesty will not spawn more illegal immigration if the right technology and follow-up are in place.

We could also implement a probationary period where immigrants have to prove that they pay taxes and maintain a clean record. Let’s get them registered and identifiable with the police so they can focus on real criminals. Let’s tighten laws on violent immigrants, and let’s monitor people taking advantage of the system, but let’s not continue to punish and strike fear in to the harmless ones who broke a broken law and who have established lives here now. Deportations are increasing hostility from neighboring countries and are just plain cruel given how long we have willingly looked the other way enforcing immigration law.

I hope we can use reality, compassion, dialogue and technology to solve this issue and stop unnecessarily ruining the lives of decent human beings who have established lives here. Wouldn’t it be great for the U.S. to be a positive and accepting country with an immigration system that works? It is possible, but something has got to give.