Mi Pais Esta Su Pias or .. My Country Tis for Thee

The people who live in Arizona tend to showcase the land they have chosen to take root in . The Southwestern colors, geometric Native American designs and the smell of chilis roasting, treats our senses to an inviting potpourri of what we have labeled as home. We have missions that date back to the Spanish conquistadores. The abandoned ruins of extinct tribes, like the Hohokam and the Anasazi lends mystery and romance to our legacy. We are also the youngest of the 48 states and an aquisition from Mexico during the Mexican-American war. We are tied by the land and the people to a heritage that knows no borders. We are a land of Apache, Navajo, Pima and Mexican languages. English is not the first language spoken here, it is the last to prevail as the first language.
Sadly, Arizona's border with Mexico is one of the most dangerous borders to cross and entire families have perished in the hot summer Sonoran desert. After 911, border security has become an issue, because of the uncontrolled and undocumented access to our country by borders that cannot be controlled by planes, by foot or by civilian "possies". The threat of another attack by Middle Eastern access to our country is a possibility, even a threat by Osama himself and Arizona is vulnerable as a port of access.
We have taken the wrong tack in trying to turn back the undocumented workers, however. Making it a felony to be in this country will make it harder on our Hispanic citizens. I see our frenzy to close the border as an opportunity to harrass our own citizens to prove that they are, indeed, American citizens. This amounts to racial profiling and is not justified! Making "illegal" immigration a felony will do what? Fill our prisons with illegal immigrants? How does this affect the taxpayers who decry the burden of the illegals upon our society and our pocketbooks?
More expensive, but more to the point is the erection of a physical barrier along our borders. Not barbed wire.. a wall. A wall would protect us better from the unpatrolled portions of the border that allows people to flow across our borders and deserts by the thousands. It might even lower the number of deaths in the desert and stop the illegal and inhumane smuggling of Mexican citizens by groups like the Coyotes that smuggle purely for the money without any provision for the safety of the people.
The second thing we need to do, is make it illegal in our own country to hire undocumented workers. Business should be fined for hiring these workers and paying them less than they do an American counterpart. If we decide on a guest worker program..a wall and a strict guideline for hiring, wages, insurance and taxes would go far to make Mexico a good neighbor and make our own citizens free to move about the country without having to question their heritage at checkpoints!