Increased security along the U.S.-Mexico border isn’t the right way to go about handling immigrants.

U.S. and Mexican officials met Wednesday to discuss border safety and increased security, focusing mainly on response to dangerous situations.

Within the last month, Attorney General John Ashcroft suggested enhanced border security and announced a plan by President Bush to give guest worker visas to Mexican immigrants.

According to the U.S. Border Patrol, nearly 600 immigrants have died trying to cross into the United States since 1998.

More Border Patrol officers are not the immigration answer; an open border is.

Critics of Mexican immigration claim jobs are being stolen by their friends south of the border, but that is rarely true. While many U.S. citizens are willing to work factory jobs, few jump in line to pick peaches for long hours during the summer.

The U.S.-Canadian border is barely patrolled, but most people don’t care. If immigrants looking for jobs are taken out of the equation, there is little reason to stop Mexicans from entering the United States that can’t also be applied to Canadians.

There is a stereotype that Canadians have more in common with U.S. citizens than Mexicans. We need to examine the reasons Mexicans can’t freely enter the country to look for work and be certain racial discrimination will not take place.

Narcotics, which are smuggled heavily across the Mexican border, shouldn’t play a role in deciding to open the border to immigrants. It is doubtful smuggling would increase, nor should it affect the hopes of Mexicans looking for work.

Bush’s idea to grant Mexicans guest worker visas is a good step to improve relations with Mexico, which is struggling to improve living conditions and strengthen its economy. The country may be able to achieve those goals by working with the United States.

Bush, touted by some as the first “Mexican” president, had good influences coming from a state heavily populated by Mexican immigrants.

People are dying to get into the United States because they aren’t getting paid what they deserve in their home country. They don’t want to plague the country, they just want to provide for their families.

The United States was built on a rich tradition of immigrants in search of a better life than what other parts of the world could offer.

Unfortunately, after 50 years of prosperity and economic growth, many citizens view the country as an elitist club.

But it takes all kinds to make up the United States. Most people can tell stories of their ancestors immigrating from abroad. Now, many of those stories involve Mexicans jumping fences in search of prosperity.

The problem with illegal immigrants shouldn’t be solved by creating potentially dangerous situations as they try to enter the country. It is best dealt with by letting them work in the country legally.