Legislators indicated they were not interested in deporting people, rather in finding a compromise. One can only hope that people keep their word.

According to the public safety commissioner, under the Patriot Act only government agencies would be prevented from using the driving card as identification. What it all comes down to is: Will all people, and especially our government officials, carry out the legislative intent of the act? The reality is that the law is "what the cop on the beat says it is." Legislators need to make sure the law is carried out as they intended it.

While our state legislators have tried to do their best to deal with a national problem, it is our U.S. government that must now follow their lead in providing a national immigration policy that responds to the needs of our nation in today's world economy and upholds the values we hold dearly. Mexico, on the other hand, must begin solving its own internal problems that force its poor to seek a better life elsewhere.

One of the encouraging things about this Legislature, and perhaps about many of us, is that we began to listen to each other's viewpoints and realize that we have made a start on a difficult problem. Now we need a commitment to continue to make the changes needed.

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jdflorez@comcast.net.

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