To secure the U.S.

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President Bush is a man on a mission this week. He seeks to reinvigorate his leadership and rehabilitate his public standing by addressing an issue of enormous import to the country and of no less concern to its citizens: the insecurity of our borders and our dysfunctional immigration policies.

It remains to be seen if Mr. Bush will benefit politically from his visits to border states and meetings with those charged with protecting them and the rest of us from illegal aliens. Many of the border crossers are looking for economic opportunity but some may well be terrorists. More important, whether the country will benefit from the president's current, intense focus on immigration-related issues depends on whether he agrees with the following 10 principles:

(1) The purpose of U.S. immigration policy is to benefit the citizens of the United States.

(2) Since immigration policy can profoundly shape a country, it should be set deliberately, not by accident or acquiescence, with careful consideration to ensure it does not adversely affect American citizens and communities' quality of life.

(3) Immigration policy should be based on and adhere to the rule of law. Immigration laws must be enforced consistently and uniformly throughout the United States.

(4) Noncitizens enter the United States as guests and must obey the rules governing their entry. The U.S. government must track the entry, stay and departure of all visa-holders to ensure they comply fully with the terms of their visas or to remove them if they fail to do so.

(5) The U.S. borders must be physically secured as soon as possible. An effective barrier to the illegal entry of both aliens and contraband is vital to U.S. security.

(6) Those responsible for facilitating illegal immigration shall be sought, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law and shall forfeit profits from such activity. This applies to smugglers and traffickers of people, as well as those involved in producing, procuring, distributing or using fraudulent or counterfeit documents.

(7) U.S. employers shall be given a simple and streamlined process to determine employees' legal eligibility to work. Employers who obey the law shall be protected both from liability and from unfair competition by those who violate immigration law. The violators shall be subject to fines and taxes in excess of what they would have paid to employ U.S. citizens and legal residents for the same work.

(8) Those who enter or remain in the United States in violation of the law shall be detained and removed expeditiously. Illegal aliens shall not accrue any benefit, including U.S. citizenship, as a result of their illegal entry or presence in the United States.