Years ago, when immigrants came into the United States, they had to pass a health examination. This was not a punitive exercise against immigrants; it was a very real and efficient way of protecting the American population against disease and of caring for those who came across our borders and the ocean to find a better way of life. Sadly that is not a concern of many officials today, who look upon any regulations, requirements or policies limiting or restricting the free flow of immigrants across our borders as discriminatory, anti- American and inhumane. That ridiculous notion has to change, as the recent outbreak of swine flu reminds us, and as the alarming statistics about the rise of tuberculosis, particularly in the areas near the Mexican border, indicate. Example: There was a 400 percent increase in tuberculosis among children in San Diego County, California, from 1985 to 1993, and those numbers show little or no sign of abating.

There are very real human, economic, social and political issues that surround the current debate about illegal immigration, but they pale in comparison to the issue of health. And when you recognize that many of our illegal immigrants find employment in restaurants and other jobs in close proximity to the general population, that issue becomes even more critical. Let's stop pandering to an ideal sense of fairness and equity and do what is necessary to protect the American public, which is the first and foremost moral, legal and ethical obligation of those the public put into office.