Immigration has turned into a controversial topic. Very few conservatives I’ve interacted with can be considered racist, want our borders closed, don’t feel compassion for those in the detention facilities or don’t feel we should help others in helpless conditions. Rather, we see the issue as the long-term problem with a solution that is much broader than simply managing the detention centers or releasing all asylum-seekers.

America is a land of prosperity and value and has much more room to let others come and strive for the American Dream. However, it can’t be a free-for-all offering sanctuary to buy votes for a political party’s future voters. Our border is overwhelmed, and there are many policies and court cases that make the detention centers and how we manage those seeking asylum completely unmanageable. This has not been caused by any single political party or politician. Both have kicked the can down the road, failed to follow through with campaign promises, given tough speeches with no follow-through and have not done their job.

Comparing the detention centers to concentration camps, and Border Patrol agents to Nazis, as well as sharing sensationalized stories that don’t depict actual conditions or the story behind how we got there, does not bring a solution any closer. The No. 1 job of the federal government is to provide for the safety and security of our nation. Not managing health care. Not creating jobs. Not being a generous donor to buy votes for politicians to get elected. We’ve lost sight of this. Watching the recent debates for the upcoming election is like watching a game show to see who can fill their cart with the most free goods off the shelves and flee the store before the time runs out.

Conservatives want our borders secured. Not closed. Conservatives want a way for the tired and poor who yearn to breathe free, and will contribute to making our country better, to have a legal and realistic way to come to America that doesn’t involve hiring coyotes, anchor babies or mobbing the border. Conservatives want a way to ensure our borders are secure from terrorists, drugs and criminals, so we know who is coming through. We recognize that nobody contributes more to our nation than somebody who came from a hopeless situation to give their family a better tomorrow, who will work hard and embrace their new home. Many of the most successful people in our community came through that very channel.

We need a plan that allows more asylum seekers and those who dream of freedom and opportunity to apply for more visas.

We need a plan that secures the borders from those who don’t take step A.

We need to manage those who came here before A and B were in place and send the ones home who have no intention of making our country better, while offering a workable path for those who love America who contribute to stay, but doesn’t simply grant blanket amnesty.

Brad Kramer

Albert Lea