Black Box Report

Immigration has been a hot topic on this program, on the campaign trail and in the halls of congress. It has humbled a governor and made a career for Lou Dobbs. It has also divided this nation - even though if any country owes its foundation to immigrants, it is America.

All the overheated rhetoric has served to accomplish is to ensure that nothing ever gets done. No meaningful reform - no honest dialogue. We still have at least 12 million undocumented aliens within our borders, but every time an original suggestion arises to bring these people out of the shadows, Lou Dobbs and friends scream “terrorism!” and other nonsense, pandering to fear but making sure to avoid the facts.

A license plan - endorsed by Homeland Security experts and full of sticks and carrots is killed by the phony chorus - but the illegals continue to drive, unlicensed and uninsured.

The DREAM Act - a plan to reward the best and brightest kids who as toddlers were brought to this country by their parents, kids who've excelled in the classroom and kept their noses clean - Dobbs and friends call the prospect of making them citizens a nightmare.

The charlatans who bloviate into their mikes every night that immigrants are overrunning America, stealing jobs and destroying our economy - have succeeded in stoking fear and rallying their listeners to round em' all up.

This was illustrated last week in Long Island. After tough talk of cracking down on immigrant gangs, armed federal immigrant agents - along with local cops - busted down doors in the wee hours in Greenport. Sleeping families were rousted and 11 men were arrested, tagged as violent gang offenders and singled out for deportation.

It turned out only one man was even suspected of gang affiliation - the others, not even a single criminal violation. Here's where the story gets interesting - the town rallied to the defense of these men. One resident described as un-American warrantless searches, where hard working, family men get cuffed in the dead of night in front of their families. The mayor said this was all about scaring the white majority about the Latino population. Employers bailed out workers, others hired them lawyers. As one resident put it, "We need to do something about immigration, but not this."

In towns and cities across America, a reverse “not in my back yard” seems to be taking place. When crackdowns and raids come to their neighborhood, invariably they say, “This isn't what we had in mind.” Boarded up stores, empty apartments and a shrunken workforce are unwelcome scars.

So while Washington plays to the cameras, and talk show hosts take advantage of the camera - random, uncoordinated and ill-thought policy fills the breach - we are all the worse for it.