Providing a legal avenue leads to solution

Re: "And it's still 'amnesty'," by Donald J. Lewis, Monday Letters.

Mr. Lewis states that the only difference between "drug dealers and terrorists" and the fellow mowing our lawns is that the authorities do not pursue the latter.

Entering the U.S. illegally is not a crime. In fact, the House passed a bill in December that would make it so. In addition to being extremely poor public policy, this would cause a boon for immigration lawyers, not to mention prison construction.

He also states that "illegals" should earn citizenship "through available legal provisions." The problem, of course, is there are no job categories in the Immigration and Nationality Act for the work these "illegals" risk their lives to come here to do.

This myth is what gets lost in the immigration debate and that provides a direct, immediate solution. If the U.S. provided for a legal avenue for these workers to enter and work, this would eliminate the vast majority of "illegals," since most, if not all, and their employers would jump at the chance to end this charade.

David Swaim, Dallas