By Patrick Corcoran

The immigration debate now before the US Senate is like one of those insane Mexico City intersections where 19 streets and six neighborhoods converge at one traffic light. The only difference is that instead of a guy spouting flame from his mouth like a dragon, we see blue suits spouting nonsense. But in the corridors of Washington as on the streets of Mexico City, you have to be patient and give a lot of ground to eventually get where you want to go.

Unfortunately, there is no traffic light that can solve this problem for the US Congress. So how to accommodate the many points of view?

For starters, Congress would do well to adopt a bit of humility and flexibility with whatever immigration bill they send to President George W. Bush. The task is enormous, and the situation changes from year to year. And even a perfect bill can’t address the drastic income disparity between the United States and Mexico, the real engine of immigration. Congress will inevitably get a lot wrong in this bill, which is understandable. But rigidly assuming that this week’s debate will be the last word on immigration reform ensures that we will confront another fiasco in another handful of years. That would be a true failure.

Any bill that emerges from Congress will almost certainly contain aguest-worker program. The Senate plan would provide for 400,000 temporary work visas to be issued annually, each carrying a renewable period of two years. The guest-worker program is a pet project of the president’s, and pacifies those who say that the economy would implode without a steady stream of low-wage workers.

Guest-worker plans in other countries have never worked entirely as planned, and this one will likely be no different. Guest workers may depress wages or refuse to leave after their term is finished. Or, if the labor market stays tight and the economy heats up, we may recognize that we need 200,000 more workers. The point is that we don’t know. Recognizing that reality, Congress must reevaluate the guest-worker program at regular intervals.

Under the Senate plan, almost all of the 12 million undocumented residents would receive a temporary visa. If they then pay a US$5,000 fine, pass a criminal background check, and return to their home country at least once in the next eight years, illegal immigrants and their families could secure permanent residence through the new Z Visa.

This represents a major concession for the right, one that may not hold up when the House takes up immigration reform in the next couple of months, but it is a concession Republicans have to make. It’s fantasy to think that punitive measures (such as prohibitively expensive fines or forcing immigrants to return home while awaiting a visa) would draw the majority out of the shadows. “Amnesty” may be Washington’s dirtiest word, but any bill that fails to regularize the illegal population is worthless.

As a reward to the Republicans, none of these provisions would come into force until certain border security benchmarks are met, including the completion of 370 miles of new fencing along the Mexican border and the deployment of 17,000 new Border Patrol agents.

Congress should keep a close eye on the security provisions for a couple of reasons. First, monitoring the wall and swelling the ranks of border control authorities is expensive. Second, erecting walls from here to the moon won’t deter those illegal immigrants who enter the United States legally and overstay tourist or student visas. To discourage those folks, cracking down on workplaces that hire illegal labor (and giving employers the tools to verify their employees’ status) is essential.

Aside from being more effective and cheaper, soft-pedaling border security also reduces the risk that immigration reform will alienate Latino voters and damage America’s relationship with Mexico, which is in the interest of both political parties.

The New York Times quoted Mississippi’s Trent Lott last week as saying, “This is a huge, complicated issue, with a lot more moving parts than most people realize.” That’s as concise a description of the challenge as you’ll find, and some of those parts are bound to be overlooked.

And even after an immigration bill is signed into law, the work is far from over.

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Patrick Corcoran, a MexiData.info columnist, is a writer who resides in Torreón, Coahuila. He can be reached at corcoran25@hotmail.com.