It's a federal offence to enter our country illegally.

Our immigration laws are in place for a reason. They're there to protect us. They are there for the purpose of protecting our national security and to protect our schools and hosptitals and social services programs from being overwhelmed.

Our immigration laws are necessary. By going through the immigration process, newcomers learn how our government works and about the rights - and responsibilities - afforded to them by our constitution. In other words, they become Americans.

We need our U.S. Immigration Policy. We need to set standards for who should come in and who should not. And, at Voice of America Tees, we do indeed support legal immigration.

But there are an estimated 10 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. And more cross our borders every day. And yet the subject still keeps coming up: "Should we grant legal status to the millions of immigrants who broke the law to enter the United States?"

Don't let illegal immigration become a fast track to American citizenship.