Corbett, a Border Patrol agent, was charged with killing Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera, a border-crosser, in January 2007. Prosecutors said Corbett brutally shot an innocent person; his defense said Corbett was threatened and was just doing his job. On Election Day, his second trial ended in a hung jury--just like his first trial did earlier this year.
This ugly, contentious case offers a strong illustration of how horribly broken our border and immigration policies are. Another strong illustration: This week's cover story by Margaret Regan on the Panda Express 11, the undocumented fast-food workers who were arrested and ripped from their families in March.
This country needs comprehensive immigration reform. We need to find a way to stop the flood of people--like Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera--who risk their lives to cross the deadly Arizona desert in an effort to enter the country illegally. We need to find a way for hardworking migrants--like some of the Panda Express 11--to legally find employment without being exploited.
Now that this long, long election is over, it's time for our leaders in Washington. D.C., to get together, to compromise and to come up with some solutions. As the Corbett trials and Margaret's story show, the stakes are too high for our leaders to ignore the problem any longer.
