Dear Barack, Hillary, John and Mitt (front-runners' names in alphabetical order. Infer no preference):

Happy "Super-Duper" Tuesday! It's the day you've all been working toward. I wish each of you well.

Some people have groused about the length of this presidential campaign season. I must confess. I'm one of them. But I now realize that months on the campaign trail separate the winners from the also-rans. Running for president of the United States isn't a game for wimps. After today, with nearly half of the nation conducting primary elections or caucuses, the field of four may be effectively reduced to two. Or this summer's party conventions could be barnburners. Either way, one of you will be elected the 44th president of the United States on Nov. 4.

So I thought I'd impose my to-do list on you a few months early — a little something for you to think about on those long plane and bus rides that lie ahead.

First off, you've got to deal with immigration. Congress has failed to deliver a cogent immigration policy. Many members of Congress are running scared of the anti-immigration lobby. For that matter, a good many presidential candidates parse their words when it comes to this issue.

But the federal government has got to act. Because the federal government has failed to act — aside from starting to build a border fence and throwing a few more resources at the issue — the states are attempting to take on the issue themselves. The result has been a hodgepodge of laws, some born out of deep concern over the issue and others that have a racist taint.

These debates divide communities. They send people further underground. They render people more prone to exploitation because victims don't dare involve the authorities, whether it's an employment issue or domestic violence.

None of these trends are healthy. I had hope when a bipartisan coalition of federal lawmakers came together to draft an immigration reform proposal. The anti-immigration lobby is such a squeaky wheel some members of Congress have been reluctant to lead out on this issue. I had hoped that a coalition approach would dilute these groups' stranglehold.

I think most people are of agreement that the borders need to be secure. My greater concern is how we treat the 12 million or so undocumented workers in our midst. Many of them come from families that have mixed immigration status. We can't round up and ship out illegal immigrants because we'll break up a lot of families in the process. What happens after we deport Mom and/or Dad? Send the kids, who are citizens, to foster care? It gives me chills to think about it.