Yes, that bill is dead, but we could use some live ones

I see that Moderate Man started an article celebrating the apparent death of the current immigration bill.  I hope that the celebration isn't too early, but expect that the death certificate could probably be signed on that bill given it's decaying support from the fragile coalition (of the stupid) that were supporting it.

As evidenced in many of the replies to MM's article, there are still lots of issues here, the biggest being enforcement of existing laws and tightening of our borders.

Congress *MUST* (crap, I realize here I'm starting to read a bit like a certain clueless old liberal....) put some teeth into our existing immigration laws.  Fund the border patrol and supply it with enough tools to get the job done right.  We've gone too long with 10s of people doing a job that 1000s of people need to be doing.  Beef up the number of people doing the job, and give them enough tools and legal support for doing the job right.  Put some fear back into those that would cross the border illegally and make it be known that we are not going to simply ignore border crossers, and that we will put enough people to work doing the job so that illegals can't simply flood the border and get 95% of the group across because there are just too many coming through for what few border patrol agents are there to stop.

In addition, we should be tightening up enforcement of existing rules that have been in place to prevent companies from employing illegals.  Start clamping down on the companies that are ignoring the rules.  Fine the bejeezus out of them.  If necessary, Congress should raise the fines and provide the necessary statutory support for proper enforcement of these laws so that the cheaters don't simply get a slap on the wrist but instead find themselves looking at the end of their businesses and their own livelyhood.  Make the CEOs and other officers of the company legally responsible for their own companies failings to verify the legal status of workers and toss a few of them in jail and/or fine the snot out of them until they wake up shaking in their boots over the possibility that their company may have ignored knowledge of the fact that illegals have been working for them.

We can fix our immigration problems if we start enforcing the laws we have and show that we mean business.  *After* we do that, if the Congress wants to revisit the immigration issue and allow more people to come to this country, then we can talk about it.  If they want to allow for guest workers, again, we can talk about it.  I suspect many people would have no problems at all with letting in those that want to come here and seek the American dream.