We all know that illegal immigration is a very controversial and politically-charged issue these days. One side want to physically close off the border with Mexico and channel billions of dollars on enforcement efforts there. On the other hand, many argue that the only effective way to reduce illegal immigration is through a comprehensive policy that reduces the incentive to come to the U.S.:

Valuable lessons can be gleaned from the continent that supplied America’s original pool of immigrants. When the European Union added Greece, Spain and Portugal as member countries in the 1980s, it channeled massive amounts of aid to these newcomers and Ireland to narrow the income gap separating them from more-prosperous nations like Germany and France.

About half of the $500 billion in aid was spent unwisely; the best investments were in roads and communications linking these four countries to richer markets. Between 1986 and 2003, the per capita GDP of the four nations rose from 65 percent of the average EU member country’s economic output to 82 percent.

Spain spent much of the $120 million it received on new roads that boosted commerce and tourism. As a result, Spanish immigration to other EU countries all but ceased. Ireland now ranks as the second richest member of the EU in per capita terms -- and for the first time in its history, it is actually receiving rather than sending immigrants.

As the recent demonstrations and protests all around the country against punitive anti-immigrant legislation illustrate, there will be significant political and social repercussions if this narrow-minded reactionary effort to curb illegal immigration passes. As sociologists have been trying to argue for decades, this issue is not a simple case of fortifying our borders -- there are significant social forces driving this phenomenon.

Of course, the U.S. is not the E.U. and currently is not exactly in a fiscally generous mood. Nonetheless, as Congress starts to debate legislation this week, these ideas are another illustration of the old adage that if you truly want meaningful results, we need to cure the ‘disease’ and not just treat the symptoms. Yes, more and better law enforcement is necessary, but that will only go so far.

The real solution requires a longer-term vision, not a punitive and reactionary crackdown that will do more harm than good.