WASHINGTON, D.C. Nothing is more important for America's future than immigration. The economy will see ups and downs. Terrorism, at some point, will stop threatening us. But immigrants will forever leave their imprint on the United States. And that is a good thing.
After debating (on television and in person) with CNN's Lou Dobbs at least five times, I am sure that nobody will be satisfied with Congress's decision on immigration law reform, however it turns out. But any reform must
include legalization of the 12 million undocumented immigrants already here, as well as provide work visas for those coming behind them. It is fundamental for the future of the United States.

Let us be clear. When Dobbs and others call undocumented immigrants "illegals," many people imagine criminals and terrorists. And that perception is wrong.

Here we are speaking about people _ women, grandparents, children, peasants, workers _ who had absolutely nothing to do with the Sept. 11, 2001, terror acts. And while it is true they broke the law by crossing the border or by overstaying their visas, it is also true that thousands of companies hire them and millions of Americans profit from their work. We are all accomplices.
It is almost impossible to spend a day without benefiting from the work of undocumented immigrants: we eat what they harvest, live in the houses they build; they take care of our children, pay their taxes, create jobs, do the jobs Americans don't want, keep inflation under control and pay retirement benefits _ Social Security _ for a rapidly aging population.

Another mistaken perception is that undocumented migrants take out more than they put in to the economy. False. In 1995, the National Academy of Sciences concluded that all immigrants, legal or not, contribute $10 billion a year to the American economy. What is true is that the federal government does not fairly allocate immigrant income tax revenue to the cities, counties
and states most affected by health and education expenses for the immigrants.

That is not the fault of the undocumented workers; the budget can adjust that.

It is unbelievable that the most diverse nation on the planet subjects millions of human beings to darkness and fear. Undocumented workers are invisible to most Americans. They do not exist on any official registry. But,
because of their economic and cultural contributions, they deserve to stay.

And, no, it is not an amnesty that the U.S. Senate is discussing in the McCain-Kennedy proposal. If this bill is passed in full by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush, it would send the undocumented immigrants to the back of the queue and then it would take them, on average, 11 years to become American citizens (after paying a fine, learning English and proving they have no unpaid taxes and are not criminals).

The legalization would solve part of the problem _ that of the undocumented who are already here _ because the alternative is unthinkable.

Deporting most of the undocumented immigrants could cost up to $240 billion.

I cannot even begin to imagine TV videos of federal agents _ in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston _ rounding up families with infants and dragging them from their homes and off to jails or detention centers before being
deported. America's image around the world, would end up damaged beyond repair and the possibility of human rights violations is huge.

The other part of the immigration problem involves the people that continue to arrive. Every second, an immigrant crosses illegally from Mexico into the United States. Half a million enter every year. And this will continue as long as workers in the United States earn salaries 15 to 20 times
greater than what workers are paid for the same job in Mexico.

Parity in the salaries isn't likely to be achieved in less than two decades. A massive foreign investment program is needed in Mexico and Central America to speed up this process. But that does not exist. So, the only solution in the short term is that it should be easier for an immigrant to get a visa or work permit than sneaking in illegally through deserts, rivers and mountains.

I understand the people who want to build more walls in front of Mexico and to deploy the Army or 20,000 more federal agents to the border. But let me tell you something: it won't work. Hunger is stronger than fear. A man or a woman suffering hunger will do the impossible to cross the border. He or she has nothing to lose because they have already lost everything.

When Bush came to office in 2001, 336 immigrants died on the border. Last year, with the border reinforced, that number grew to 460 deaths of undocumented migrants. An immigration reform that strengthens border security _ a legitimate U.S. right _ but which does not offer legal entry to the hundreds of thousands of undocumented people arriving every year, will have a fatal and immediate effect: more deaths on the border.

Finally, the GOP could pay a huge political price if Hispanic voters blame the party for a law that does not treat immigrants fairly. Hispanics not only defined the presidential election in 2000, but are already the biggest minority in the country: according to my calculations based on U.S. Census Office data, Latinos will be the majority in the United States by 2125. Latino voters will know soon who their real friends are.

The identity and strength of the United States is based upon its diversity and its openness to new immigration. That was made clear with the great protest in Los Angeles _ in which more than half a million people took part _ and the constant protests across the nation by young high school Latinos who also refuse to keep quiet in the face of pending criminalization of immigrants.

It is now the Senate's turn to do its job to protect the multiethnic and multicultural future of the United States. It is not giving away an amnesty _ it is doing the right thing.