America prides itself on being the Land of the Free, yet some people believe it often denies liberty to those who need it desperately. In the past few months America has increased its border patrol to prevent immigrants in search of freedom from immense poverty and persecution. Some states have even supported vigilantes in using preventive measures. In Arizona, according to CNN.com, a group known as the Miutemen has been recruiting heavily since 2004 to subdue the immigration "problem" along the state's southern Border. This group has even taken up arms, while blatantly taking the law into their own hands, as Jim Gilchrist, one of the Minutemen's main recruiters said, "I felt the only way to get something done was to do it yourself". The department of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is completely aware of this group and allowing the Minutemen to do whatever they wish, even commit violence against immigrants.

"Any time there are firearms and you're out in the middle of no-man's land in difficult terrain, it's a dangerous setting," said Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner of U.s Customs and Border Protection.

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), a non-profit organization based in Chicago, supports the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, which has been proposed to Congress as of May 2005. This is a great opportunity for comprehensive immigration reform. Tina Hernandez, ICIRR's Media Correspondent, who multitasks from teaching immigrants how to speak publicly, to talking with reporters, decided to speak on the subject.

"I detest what the Minutemen are doing along the southern borders", says Hernandez. "They terrorize men, women and children that are most likely escaping terror already. What we need is a thorough solution for this problem, not vigilantes".

This is why she supports The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. This is a bi-partisan bill that US Senators John McCain (Republican-Arizona) and Edward Kennedy (Democrat-Massachusetts) and US Rep. Luis Gutierrez (Democrat-Illinois) have recently proposed to Congress.

The ICIRR feels that this bill is necessary, as their Web site states: "Our broken immigration system doesn’t work for anyone, immigrants or native-born Americans. The system provides so few legal channels for foreign workers that it all but guarantees an illegal flow. Businesses can’t find the labor they need. Entire industries operate on the wrong side of the law. Millions of foreign workers live in the country illegally: a nightmare for them, an affront to the rule of law and an unacceptable security risk for all Americans".

Many people agree that we cannot retake control simply by cracking down harder. It's been done anddoesn’t work, says Hernandez.

"What’s needed: first, we’ve got to replace our unrealistic laws – laws so out of sync with reality that we can hardly enforce them. In the age of international terrorism, we have no choice: we need a realistic system – and we need to enforce it so it’s airtight," she says.

Senator Kennedy also feels that our immigration system is in desperate need for reformation. "The Status Quo is unacceptable", said Kennedy on his office Web site. "We need to modernize our broken immigration system to meet the challenges of the 21st century. And we need policies that continue to reflect our best values as a nation--of fairness, equal opportunity and respect for the law".

This bill proposal may be very important for the U.S., which currently houses approximately 7 million undocumented citizens according to the year 2000 Census figures. According to the Census and the INS, between October 1996 and January 2000, the number of undocumented citizens grew from about 5.8 million to about 7 million, an increase of more than 300,000 annually. This bill should be especially important within the city of Chicago, which houses approximately 628,903 immigrants in the metropolitan area, and approximately 62,000 immigrants outside of the city. According to Roosevelt University's "The Metro Chicago Immigration Fact Book," Chicago ranks fifth nationally in the size of its immigrant population; among large metro areas and the Chicago area ranks ninth in the percentage of its population that is foreign-born. And an increase in the numbers is very possible as many of the immigrants’ families may plan to reunie with love ones here.

For more information on the bill and on ICRR, please visit www.ICIRR.org