August 2, 2007 | By DeEtte Chatterton

What next after amnesty?

After conservatives defeated liberal attempts to push amnesty legislation through Congress, there was good cause for celebration. But in the wake of this victory, we must remember that the problem of illegal immigration in America remains unsolved. Americans rightly want to know what’s next in the fight to secure the borders and reform the immigration system.

Speaking at the Heritage Foundation on Monday, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) provided a common-sense answer: enforce the law.

“We don’t need amnesty to enforce current law, we need to enforce the law to eliminate the need for amnesty,” Smith declared. “No nation can survive without respect for its laws and without secure borders.”

While national security is certainly threatened by illegal immigration, the Congressman said, it is by no means the only problem created by porous borders. Illegal immigration has major economic, legal and fiscal impacts on the nation. A sound immigration reform has to address all of these problems in a way that makes sense for America. And amnesty does not fit the bill.

Following the Congressman’s remarks, a panel of Heritage experts explained the steps Congress should take to reform the broken system.

A sound reform program must enforce existing laws, control our borders, emphasize legal immigration, and consider flexible, legal opportunities for workers to enter the country on a temporary basis. Congress, they argued, must enact legislation that will give the government the tools necessary to prevent illegal immigrants from entering and punish employers who hire illegal immigrants.

DeEtte Chatterton is an intern at The Heritage Foundation.