On May 14 in Victoria, Texas, 17 precious human lives ended in the back of a tractor trailer truck while being illegally smuggled into the United States. This tragedy calls attention to the contradictions in our nation's immigration policy. The policy is divided between those who define compassion by how many illegal aliens are allowed in this country and by those who define it by how few we will tolerate. Currently, the foreign-born population of the United States is 33.1 million, equaling 11.5 percent of the U.S. population. However, the Census Bureau estimates 8-9 million immigrants are in the U.S. illegally.

Our country has always had a commitment to the notion of legal immigration for people who are looking to make a better life for themselves and their family. In 1892 the Statue of Liberty near Ellis Island, one of the main entry points for immigrants in the early part of the century, was engraved with, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free." Our country is the accumulation of good, hard working immigrants from all corners of the globe. Our national motto, "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of Many, One) speaks to the importance and strength of our diverse culture.

When people come here to work and enjoy the fruits of freedom, they are agreeing to abide by our laws. However, when we discuss this issue in context of illegal immigration it takes on new meaning and requires a very different assessment.

It is understandable that if suffering and oppressed people believe they will be given benefits when they arrive in the US, they will take any measure, even risking their life, to get here. Unfortunately, there are also those people who prey on their desperation in order to make a profit, such as the case in Texas. However, if we truly oppose human trafficking, we must make it known that we will NOT provide government benefits to people that come into our country illegally. In every little village, in every country, on every continent people need to know that the hope and opportunities in America will ONLY be afforded to those willing to obey our laws and who legally pursue permission to enter our country.

Practically speaking, we may not be able to close off our borders enough to prohibit illegal immigrants from entering through Mexico or Canada but our system needs to be reformed so that the incentive for immigrants to bypass the process is taken away. Some of our finest citizens who migrated to the United States worked with the system to become contributing members of society and we must encourage that course of action. We should not have an immigration policy that would result in the torturous outcome we witnessed in Texas last month.