SAN FRANCISCO--As a child of an immigrant woman turned U.S. citizen and as a Latino, I am keeping a close watch on all this talk about "immigration reform." In the past, politicians used to declare war on crime or drugs to get elected. Now they call for a crackdown on immigrants, and people I know could be in danger.

One absurd idea that has been thrown out there is denying U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants. I am proud to be a U.S. citizen, but I became a citizen by being born here. My mother had recently immigrated to this country thanks to the Reagan-backed Contra war in her country, Nicaragua. I believe that you should be a citizen of the country where you are born. If the United States, the leading country in the world, changes this policy, the rest of the world might follow suit. Citizenship would be denied to children who don't have any control of their parents' actions and whose parents are only seeking a better future for their children.

Another idea being talked about is building a high-tech fence to keep immigrants from entering the United States illegally. When I heard this I thought, "Are we in Israel?" In the Middle East there is constant violence and conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, so a wall was constructed to separate both peoples. But I have never read of any suicide bombings or attacks on American people by Mexican immigrants. The wall is being built simply to prevent people -- not just Mexicans but people from all over Latin America -- from entering this country. If it is built it will resemble the Berlin Wall, because on one side people will live in economic prosperity, and on the other, people will constantly try to cross.

Then there's the Sensenbrenner bill. This legislation would make it a felony to be an illegal alien and would make criminals of the people who support illegal aliens. I know several illegal aliens. Not all of them are saints, but not all of them are gang-bangers or thieves. But it wouldn't matter what kind of a person they are, because if they're illegal, then it will be illegal to kick it with them. Everyone should have the right to associate with whomever they choose. What are we supposed to do before we get to know someone -- ask them for their passport or green card?

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