COLUMN: 06-06-2007

The word "amnesty" has been a political hot button during the recent political discussions on immigration in Washington and across the country. Those on the conservative side of the issue call anything other than the immediate mass deportation of all illegal immigrants amnesty and those on the liberal side refuse to use the word and instead talk about a "path to citizenship". The truth can be found in the major Spanish-language American media, who clearly use the word amnesty to describe all of the current proposals in Washington. Amnesty means not receiving the required punishment for breaking the law so any "path to citizenship" is a form of amnesty, regardless of the hurdles (fines, waiting periods, having to leave and return, etc) put in. Either amnesty is acceptable or it's not, so there's no point in trying to whitewash the issue by avoiding the use of the word.