The nation’s growing immigration quagmire has become a crisis only because we’ve needlessly made it one.

Yet another generation of MAGA Republicans are now part of Congress and insisting that shutting down almost all immigration – and deporting those here without proper credentials – is a practical solution.

It’s nothing more than the same dangerous delusion that drove Donald Trump and his acolytes to waste billions of dollars on a “wall” and torment millions of people.

Now, and for decades, the “problem” of illegal immigration has been primarily about jobs, and the past and current Republican forays into the morass have ignored that.

Despite all the heated rhetoric and emotional arguments targeting both sides of this thorny issue, there is a growing cadre of critical facts:

? There are an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States, and their stories and circumstances are astoundingly varied. Officials estimate greater Aurora is home to about 130,000 undocumented immigrants.

? Many of these immigrants are already settled and integrated into our communities. They have jobs. They own cars and homes. They make more than $60 billion a year from U.S. businesses, according to a variety of sources. They have children in schools. They spend money in the community. If we deport them, can they retain their property? Business groups and more than a few industries haven’t been shy in making it clear that these immigrants are critical to their operations. If they leave, who will fill their jobs? Many metro businesses can’t find employees even with undocumented immigrants filling the workforce.

? Deporting undocumented immigrants is far from being a simple matter. Many families consist of citizens and non-citizens, many with varying degrees of authorization. If the father of a family of six is deported, why force his American wife and perhaps three-of-six documented children to live here in anguished poverty and on the government dole, if they don’t leave the country with him? Tearing apart families will only lead to tragedy and increased government expense.

? The cost of rounding up, collecting from jails, housing, processing and deporting millions of immigrants would be astronomical. Even proponents admit that. The federal government has tried to boost its border control and ICE force before, only to find out how difficult, ineffective and expensive it is.

? Once collection and deportation of immigrants begins in earnest, the level of angst and panic would push communities like Aurora into real chaos. Unauthorized immigrants would quickly go underground, pulling their children out of school, avoiding police and other government officials, hoarding cash and spending little. Everyone’s chances of being involved in a hit-and-run car crash would increase dramatically as anyone nervous about their citizenship status, or with someone like that, does all they can to avoid civilian police. Immigrants, and people who appear to be immigrants, would be easy and frequent targets for criminals and scams, as crooks and bandits take advantage of the fact that these people would likely never contact police.

Despite claims that unauthorized residents drain public resources, a 2017 study by Colorado’s Bell Research Policy Center revealed that the question of what undocumented immigrants “cost” the state is: nothing. The Bell center calculated that the cost of educating unauthorized children, incarcerating undocumented convicts and providing social-safety-net benefits to some is about the same of what these residents and families pay in sales taxes, property taxes, income taxes and more.

We don’t have to sabotage the entire country to solve the problem, and given the massive challenges the country faces with climate change, health care, infrastructure and foreign wars, this really isn’t even a problem at all, even as it exists.

But we can offer those who live here work permits and work visas that allow them to live legally in the U.S. – under any conditions we choose. They must pay taxes, penalties, document their lives, anything we insist on. If they are convicted of felony crimes, they lose their visa. In order to work in the U.S., they must prove citizenship or visa status. If a business is caught employing someone without work credentials, they must pay a serious and hefty fine.

It’s about jobs. It’s not hard. It’s not unfair. And it’s not impractical.

That must be the win-win basis for comprehensive immigration.

But first, Aurora, and all of Colorado, must stand firm against GOP congressional leaders’ demands to oust families living in the United States, indiscriminately bus them across the country, and use racist, xenophobic tropes and tricks to incite hatred or mistrust, or simply ignore a problem that is so easily addressable.

Sentinel Colorado Editorial Board

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