The newly troubled immigration policy

By Kathryn Jean Lopez

"I've come to hate immigration, which is an awful thing for any American -- and one named Lopez at that -- to admit. Immigration should be an inspirational topic about "huddled masses yearning to breathe free." But in 2007, it's not: It's a contentious, unserious, dangerous topic.

Maybe I've caught Bush Derangement Syndrome. I'd like to believe I have, since that will alleviate my guilt a little. I hate being one of the Bush administration detractors. There's a war going on, and the stakes are just too high to be fooling around and compromising a commander in chief's authority unnecessarily.

I'll compromise where I have to. I'll put up with bad judgment here and there: Harriet Miers? The incompetent Alberto Gonzales? Torching the First Amendment by signing campaign-finance reform? Things like the war are so important that it is easier to look past previous gaffes. He knows there's an enemy out there that hates America.

But Immigration is about the war, too. It's literally our first line of defense. Who gets in and out? Who is here? These are pretty fundamental questions in a country where there are already an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. And yet, the president, instead of taking such concerns seriously, engages in immature name-calling." Read on.