The great immigration debate: with 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., everyone agrees our immigration system is broken. What no one seems to agree on is how to fix it.

• Author: Smith, Patricia
• Position: NATIONAL

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Erin Goheen and Andres Gamboa are both students at the University of Arizona, and they both grew up in the state. But when it comes to the topic of immigration, they don't have much in common.

Goheen, a 20-year-old senior from Phoenix, blames illegal immigrants for Arizona's crime problem, which has gotten so bad, she says, that she's afraid to be out on city streets after dark. That's why she supports Arizona's tough new immigration law, which gives local police broad power to arrest anyone they think may be in the country illegally, and makes it a crime for all noncitizens not to carry immigration papers.

"I am more than thrilled about this law," she says. "I've read it more than 20 times. I have it printed out and take it with me almost everywhere."

But to Gamboa, an 18-year-old freshman from Tucson whose parents are Mexican immigrants, the new law is simply a threat. Born in California, Gamboa is a U.S. citizen, and he says his parents are here legally. But that hasn't prevented scary run-ins with authorities, who he says recently tried to search his family's home in the middle of the night for no good reason. He fears the new law will only make things worse for Hispanics in Arizona.

"It's a law based on racism," he says. "I know a lot of people who are afraid of going out in the street. They just take their children to school and go right home. They feel like their safety is threatened."

Goheen and Gamboa represent the sharp divide not only between Arizonans, but also among Americans in general on the subject of immigration. Arizona's tough new immigration law has reignited the national debate and put a spotlight on Washington's failure to tackle this issue at the federal level, leaving a vacuum some states and cities are trying to fill.

An estimated 12 million illegal immigrants live in the United States, with about 7 million from Mexico. While there are illegal immigrants in every state, they are concentrated in California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Arizona.

Path to Legalization?

Nearly everyone agrees that America's immigration system is broken; what they don't agree on is how to fix it.

Broadly speaking, conservatives favor tightening border security, with some talking about deporting illegal immigrants. Liberals have generally been pushing for a path toward legalization for those here illegally, providing they pay fines, learn English, and wait their turn to be considered. This is the approach favored by President Barack Obama, who voiced strong opposition to Arizona's approach.

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"If we continue to fall to act at a federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country," he said.

Congressional leaders have vowed to tackle immigration reform soon, and Democrats and Republicans already agree on the need for better border security.

'Most Explosive Issue'

But politics comes into play as both parties try to take into account the views of important constituencies. Hispanic voters, for example, are a growing force in big states like California, Florida, Texas, and New York that neither party wants to alienate; they'd like to see illegal immigrants given a chance to become legal, as would employers who rely on immigrants to take jobs they say Americans no longer want.

But many voters see immigrants as threats to their jobs and wage levels--especially at a time when the unemployment rate is around 10 percent--as well as a drain on services like schools, police, and health care.

"Immigration is the most explosive issue I've seen in my political career," says Mark McKinnon, who was a senior adviser to former President George W. Bush.

While the debate over immigration is especially heated right now, immigration has been a hot topic in the U.S. from the nation's beginnings (see timeline, p. 16).

In 1776, most Americans were immigrants, or the descendants of immigrants, from the British Isles. The majority were white Anglo-Saxon Protestants who came in search of economic opportunity or to escape religious or political persecution. But the population also included large numbers of Dutch, Spanish, and Germans, in addition to American Indians and blacks, who were brought from Africa as slaves beginning in 1619.

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Although most Americans can trace their ancestry back to immigrants at some point, they have often been wary about welcoming foreigners, both legal and illegal.

A History of Wariness

Even before America's founding, Benjamin Franklin worried that German immigrants were taking over his state. "Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a colony of aliens, who shortly will be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of us Anglicizing them," Franklin wrote in 1751.

The 19th century brought very...