Some people dismiss the concerns of these businesses as nothing more than a greedy desire for cheap labor. Others say the current economic slowdown negates arguments about worker shortages.

The first argument is cynical and unfair. Some of the jobs in need of migrant workers pay decent salaries. But these jobs demand the kind of grinding labor our educated, aging workforce isn't lining up to do.

The second argument ignores the fact that Arizona businesses have been seeking a legal way to obtain guest-workers since the 1990s. This is a long-standing need.

Illegal immigration did not become a problem because employers don't know the meaning of the word "legal." It became a problem because employers need workers.

Illegal immigration did not become a problem because migrants enjoy flouting our laws and making dangerous treks across our desert. It became a problem because Mexico has more workers than jobs.

Illegal immigration is the result of a broken federal immigration policy. MORE