President Barack Obama has decided that this will be a year of immigration reform. Republicans have decided it is not. In typical fashion, it seems as though our politicians are acting in the interest of politics and not in the interest of people. Perhaps a law may be passed soon that provides minimal resolution, but even that will simply be a byproduct of the power struggle arising from the decades-old issue.

In the coming months, democrats and republicans will give a long list of supposed problems and solutions related to immigration reform. All of their remarks will allow them to dance around the issue without tackling the heart of the problem.

Why is immigration reform even an issue? It turns out there are about 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally. Life is difficult for these immigrants who look for a better life in this country. Under current immigration laws, all of these immigrants could be deported at any time. However, not only is deporting 11 million people not feasible, it would be extremely detrimental to the lives of the people living in the country without legal permission who have developed lives in America.

There are many discussions that float around the media that demonize immigrants here illegally. These discussions include claims that immigrants are a drain on American society because they take advantage of our welfare system, do not pay taxes, or take jobs away from hardworking Americans.

The truth is that immigrants, legal or illegal, do not put a strain on the economy. In fact, more people working in our economy helps it to grow. More people increases the demand for more services, which creates jobs. More people with jobs means more people are spending money that flows through the economy.

Immigrants do not come to America in an attempt to destroy our economy; they come to share it.

Even so, the discussion of immigrants’ effect on our economy should not be the main focus of the political discussion. To imply that the most important issue of immigration reform is its economic effect is callous. Immigrants are people, and we should treat them as such. They are not just another variable in determining the health of our economy.

Immigrants come to this country with the same needs and desires that American families have. Who are we as a country to deny them this opportunity?

Maybe the reason that people oppose more immigrants coming to our country is the same reason that people got so upset about the Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad. It seems as though many Americans simply have a problem with nonwhite foreigners coming to this country. Acting concerned with the economics of the situation just so happens to be a wonderful way to mask this racist train of thought.

This isn’t anything new. Our country has a long history of mistreating immigrants, whether they are legal. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred Chinese immigration to America, and the internment of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans during WWII, which treated average citizens worse than criminals merely because of their heritage, are only a few examples of this nation’s continuous intolerance toward immigrants.

Today, that intolerance happens to fall on Latin Americans, leading media forces and our society in general to think of immigration problems only in terms of our southern border.

Sixty percent of immigrants that are here illegally are from Mexico, but looking at talk shows, political speeches or news reports, one would think all immigrants in the country without legal permission are from there.

Our country cannot pat itself on the back for being a “melting pot” of different ethnicities and cultures while denying people the opportunity to make a life in this country. There is no fundamental difference between people from America and people from Mexico. Both deserve an equal opportunity to enjoy the positives that our country has to offer.

Those benefits are not always economical, though. Not all immigrants come here for job opportunities: Sometimes they are escaping. Many don’t feel safe in their home countries and seek out a more safe environment in America. More than 50,000 people have died in Mexico since its president declared a war on drug cartels in 2006. With that high level of violence, it is surprising that more Mexicans haven’t tried to come across the border. People in various South American countries face similar challenges.

When we push for immigration reform in our government this year, we need to keep in mind that immigrants here illegally are people with families and established lives in America. Our government must focus reform on giving these people the chance to have some sort of legal status so that they do not live in constant fear of deportation.

Many of the immigrants in this country without legal permission have been here for years. There is no reason to think that deporting millions of people or forcing them to jump through a multitude of hoops to become citizens will improve the wellbeing of this country.

We must wade through the political propaganda on both sides of the aisle and remember that we are trying to help human beings. Let’s not choose premade ideas from a red or blue box. Let’s come up with a real solution that will help the most people. After all, if we are not trying to help people with this reform, then what are we trying to do?