I was going to refer to "the immigration debate" again, but somehow "debate" doesn't seem to be the right word...

This, by the way, is why it would be a great mistake to create a large new class of "guest workers" with no pathway to citizenship. Paradoxically, those most worried about the impact of immigration should be those most insistent upon full rights for immigrants. Establishing a separate and unequal population with limited civil, political and social rights is the surest way of undercutting the rights of those who were born here.

Of course, the immigration battle is not just about economics. It also entails sharp cultural confrontations, particularly in areas of heavy immigration. Our nation's long history of such fights suggests that cultural battles are more easily resolved when legitimate economic grievances on both sides of the immigration divide are taken seriously.

Paradoxically, those fighting to achieve justice for immigrants will reach their goal only if they are also seen as fighting for justice for the native-born. The native-born, in turn, will find their rights better protected if the rights of immigrants are guaranteed, too.

That's E. J. Dionne Jr . You should read it.