Self-Deportation Gains Steam

Encouraging news that illegal immigrants are self-deporting as the climate in America becomes less welcoming.

In the past year, U.S. immigration police have stepped up workplace sweeps across the country and teamed up with a growing number of local forces to train officers to enforce immigration laws.

Meanwhile, a bill seeking to offer many of the 12 million illegal immigrants a path to legal status was tossed by the U.S. Congress, spurring many state and local authorities to pass their own measures targeting illegal immigrants.

The toughening environment has been coupled with a turndown in the U.S. economy, which has tipped the balance toward self deportation for many illegal immigrants left struggling to find work.

Except for the pointless jab at the economy, that's good news. (Got any evidence of a "downturn"? Construction jobs, often done by illegal immigrants, are down because of the housing slump, but the economy as a whole is doing quite well.) There's no need for mass deportations by government officials. If we fix the system, the illegal immigrants will return on their own. Hopefully the gang members and violent criminals among them will be the first to go. Then maybe we'll be able to build an enforcible and fair system to admit new immigrants who love our country and respect our laws.