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Smith Column -- Immigration Enforcement First   Location:
Washington, DC  As Congress continues conversations about
immigration reform, border security and interior enforcement are
two issues at the center of the debate. Everyone understands
that any proposal without real border security and robust
interior enforcement is unacceptable to the American people.
That's because a lack of enforcement is the primary reason we're
in this mess to begin with.  In 1986, Congress gave amnesty to
three million illegal immigrants. Like now, that amnesty was
agreed to with the promise of increased immigration enforcement
and enhanced border security. Though amnesty was enacted, the
enforcement never came.  Now, more than 25 years later, there
are 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. According to
estimates, seven million illegal immigrants hold jobs. Clearly,
the 1986 amnesty didn't solve the problem of illegal
immigration. If anything, it made matters worse.