The best way to deal with illegal immigration isn’t to send police off questioning anyone with brown skin who isn’t speaking English. If you want to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country then you have to prevent them from getting jobs, because as long as there are people who need to provide for their families, there will be people willing to risk arrest or even death to come here and make some money.

So what’s the answer? Prosecute and jail those who employ illegal immigrants. That means that if someone finds a big poultry processor is hiring undocumented aliens, put the person who did the hiring in jail. Someone rich and famous looking for cheap maid or nanny services hires an illegal alien? Prosecute them and put them in jail. I guarantee that if someone is facing jail time — not just some small fine (or even a big fine) — he’d consider twice before hiring undocumented workers. It would only take one big case or two to make a difference.

But if you do this, you have to be prepared to pay more for things. The reason why people employ illegal aliens is because they work for lower wages and with little or no legal protection for working conditions. So your cheap chicken will be more expensive. You won’t find cheap gardeners. When it comes time to remodel your kitchen, you’ll be paying higher prices, because your contractor will be hiring legal residents who know what the minimum wage is and will demand they are paid at least that rate.

Be prepared for some labor shortages in agriculture. Last year in Washington State, fruit went unpicked because of new rules requiring more protections for seasonal workers. Farmers didn’t want to or couldn’t pay extra costs for appropriate shelter. And in a time of unprecedented unemployment, no legal residents lined up for those fruit picking jobs.

Think of it like drug enforcement. Who do you want to arrest more: the small-time user or the dealers and growers? Go after the big fish and the small fry will disappear.

I’ve never understood why those who hire illegal immigrants get off so easy. After all, desperate people come here because they know there are jobs that we don’t do, won’t do. And they will, for far less money. Punish the people who take advantage of that desperation — severely with real prison time in a real prison with real criminals (not some Club Fed) — and I’d bet the problem diminishes noticeably.

Good luck with all the litigation in your future.

Lisa