Illegal immigration is among the top issues in the 2008 presidential election. The candidates have stated their plans for stemming the tide of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. and dealing with the large numbers currently residing in the country.

Arizona has passed a law to address the situation, a measure that may affect businesses of all kinds and sizes and cause some illegal immigrants to apply for reentry into Mexico.

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MSNBC.com has reported that National Democrats have urged Republican Party chairman Mel Martinez to stop the independent College Republicans from holding "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" events around the country. Apparently, the game is a variation of hide-and-seek, with one player posing as an illegal immigrant and everyone else trying to find the person. The winner usually gets a prize.

Tracy Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said, "We find these activities both egregious and offensive and condemn them wholeheartedly." But she noted the College Republicans are independent of the RNC and the organization does not control their activities.

The immigration games of a slightly different nature are about to heat up in Congress.

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As promised in Dealing with illegal immigration—Part II, here are more comments from "Welding Wire" subscribers about the topic. After reading what others think, feel free to share your thoughts.

John S. wrote, "I am just a hop, skip, and a jump from Dalton, Ga., where huge numbers of noncitizens are manning the carpet industry. A large percentage of these are illegal. (Exact numbers probably are not known, and estimates vary depending on who makes the estimate.) I feel that these people are, in fact, taking jobs that Americans would be filling at better wages if the job market were not flooded with these illegals. I feel that we (the U.S.) are encouraging this by teaching publicly financed elementary and secondary schools in the Spanish language and offering English as a second language. We also are encouraging this by printing everything bilingually. I think this language issue needs to be discussed and debated even more than the illegal immigrant issue. The workplaces in this country need to have a universal language to function efficiently and safely. To effect this, we need to declare a single language to be used by all government and public facilities."

Richard O., who has "worked with some really talented Latino welders, and they were very nice guys," sent a long e-mail with the subject line "La Reconquista" that described a plan for Mexicans to reconquer the U.S. through reproduction.

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After the blog entry Dealing with illegal immigration was posted last week, the May "Welding Wire" e-newsletter that featured an item about the topic was distributed. Within minutes of the newsletter hitting e-mailboxes, feedback began pouring in from members of the metal manufacturing community. Clearly, illegal immigration affects all of us (not just those in the U.S.), and most have strong feelings about it.

We asked "Welding Wire" subscribers if they agreed with the majority of respondents to a recent Zogby poll about illegal immigration, who believe that it hurts the U.S. economy and who advocate sanctions against employers who hire them, along with stricter border and local law enforcement. We asked if they favored deportation or amnesty.

Brian D. wrote, "I think illegal aliens help the economy. The majority of them take jobs that U.S. citizens don’t want, or don’t want for the wage [illegals] are willing to work for.

"If companies that are currently paying an immigrant pay scale are forced to hire U.S. citizens at higher rates, it is very plausible that it will drive up the price of the goods/services provided, and [the operation] either will move offshore or simply go out of business.

"This being said, I do not condone any person entering our country illegally, thus I am not pro-illegal aliens. Answering the question however, I do think they help the economy and not hurt it.

"Our country should be more liberal about allowing aliens to work here on a work visa and simply prove employment on a biannual basis. Have them pay into our Social Security, yet not be able to collect unless they become a citizen. How’s that for a plan?"

Bob E. summed up his view in two sentences: "I am with the majority of Americans who believe that we are giving away America. Send them back home." Others echoed this sentiment in stronger language, and some who wrote spoke of their own experiences coming to this country legally from a foreign land.

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Illegal immigration has been a topic of discussion in my family as far back as I can remember. My Uncle Ruben joined the U.S. Border Patrol after serving in the Marines during World War II and the Korean War. He was stationed in Miami during the Cuban Revolution, when Fidel Castro overthrew Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar. I recall hearing how he helped escort Batista’s family and others out of the country—flying under the radar in what were very dangerous missions, so dangerous that his family didn’t know what he’d been involved in until well after the fact. He went on to help secure the U.S. border with Mexico. Now retired, my uncle performed his last assignment at a facility southeast of San Diego.

Ruben tells very colorful stories about encounters with celebrities, such Keith Richards (better suited for a tabloid) and Charles Bronson, who was researching and filming the 1980 movie "Borderline," which dealt with Mexican immigrants crossing the U.S. border illegally. He also talks often about how serious the illegal immigrant problem was and is. On his home office wall are commendations for his service, mounted alongside thick sections of the “wall” between Mexico and the U.S.—sections cut out by illegals crossing over in search of better lives.

Ruben believes that the U.S. never has done enough to enforce immigration laws and restrict the influx of illegal immigrants. Now it appears that the rest of the country finally is facing the issue and trying to figure out how to address this enormous problem that affects many, many people and businesses.

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