Ruben Navarrette Jr.: Political extremes hurt immigration debate

Rather than focus on the lovely little quarrel between Bill O’Reilly and Geraldo Rivera last week we’re going to look at a more realistic and relevant perspective on immigration.

Nationally syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. warned how fringe elements on the political left and right have united to dilute the debate on immigration in the U.S. With President George W. Bush and Congress trying to refocus on the need for immigration reform, Navarrette Jr. admits that the president’s plan is a step in the correct direction even though it will not satisfy the desires of everyone on the political spectrum. Said Navarrette Jr.:

“Conservatives hate the fact that millions of illegal immigrants would be allowed to stay; liberals hate that, from now on, family reunification would no longer be the deciding factor as to who immigrates legally to the country. So, both sides immediately began slinging arrows at the White House.

But these ideas are worth debating. And we can't allow the folks at the extremes to short-circuit those discussions for the sake of their own interest.”

Navarrette Jr. concludes with a call for the public to analyze the situation rationally and to act constructively rather than point fingers at one another:

“When it comes to fixing our broken immigration system, there is no perfect plan. But, as they say, we can't make the perfect the enemy of the good. And as ideas go, there is a lot of good out there. So let's stop looking for flaws and start looking for solutions -- before the problem gets worse.”

On a related note, thousands of demonstrators marched through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday (image) calling for immigration reform as soon as possible.

Links- CNN, MSNBC, CBS News, VivirLatino

Image- CBS News