Where we can bring in more foreignborn workers with the skills our economy needs. we should. And these goals are not mutually exclusive. We should not say that Spanish speaking or working class immigrants are only good enough to be temporary workers and cannot earn the right to be part of the American family. With regard to the most pressing part of the immigration challengethe 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.-we must create an earned path to citizenship. Now. no one condones unauthorized entry into the United States. And by supporting an earned path to citizenship. I am not saying that illegal entry should go unpunished. The path to permanent residence and eventual citizenship must be tough enough to make it clear that unauthorized entry was wrong. But these immigrants are our neighbors. They go to our churches. and their kids go to our schools. They provide the hard labor that supports many of the industries in our country. We should bring them out of hiding. make them pay the appropriate fines for their mistakes. and then help them become tax paying. lawabiding. productive members of society. I am heartened by the agreement that we have to put all 12 million undocumented immigrants on a path to earned citizenship. I applaud those who worked on this compromise. But there are other parts of the compromise deal before us that cause me serious concern.
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immigrants immigration undocumented