For those who wanted action on immigration in America, they now have it. But will they like it? A deal with struck yesterday between two branches of government on the divisive issue. Senators in a bipartisan fashion are going to give the Bush Administration exactly what was requested: A deal that will allow millions of illegal immigrants to be granted legal status and tougher border security.. According to reports, the bill contains the following: Immediate work authorization to undocumented workers who arrived in the United States before January 1, 2007. Applicants would also have to pay a $5,000 penalty. Additionally, the number of Border Patrol agents would be doubled, border fencing would be strengthened and employers who hire undocumented workers would face fines. In this blogger's humble opinion, the immigration issue is tough. On one hand you can argue this basic amnesty for illegal immigrants into America is a reward for people breaking the law.. On the other hand you can argue that it will lead to a bigger tax base for the government, plus making illegal workers automatically legal will make employers have to pay minimum wages, workers comp, and take out all appropriate taxes. Then on the other side of the coin, you can argue that 12 million people is a lot of people to automatically be considered legal.. and even further than that path of high numbers is the fear that it may just very well be more than 12 million illegal immigrants. After all, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 passed and signed by President Reagan provided legal status for 3 million people--this after early estimates only had the number at about 400,000 people. So perhaps the 12million, though a huge number, could still be an understatement.. In the current climate of debate in America about immigration, many factors emerge: Americans like the prices of fruit and vegetables where they are.. Those fruits and vegetables, though, are picked many times illegal immigrants who are being paid only a few dollars a day.. Many instances have occurred in this country--in modern times during our modern days--in which illegal immigrants were forced to almost work in slave conditions. There are more than a few stories of immigrants being forced to work in factories, whether they are clothing, meat packing industries, or anything else, in which they were seriously injured. Without the benefits of legal status, there was also no workers compensation being paid for the workers.. And again, though, another side of the coin still exists. Americans are constantly losing their jobs at companies that choose to move their businesses out of the country. The manufacturing base of America is at least in jeopardy if not in crisis.. Food handling dangers exist in a world of work where immigrants trying to make quick money to live are not always educated on hand washing or safety. Now the debate will ensue. The trouble with good intentions so many times, though, is that "reform" can lead to disaster. Disaster in this could would be horrible; we are dealing with the lives of both legal and undocumented people--human lives. Human lives that will be effected by whatever our government decides to do on this vital issue.