By Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D., Kansas City, MO –

The Supreme Court rules on immigration. Is it racist or just upholding the law? The highest court has taken a stand on a critical component of the Immigration issue that’s been a serial challenge for policies at the state and national level, and that has defined the lifestyle of multiple generations of undocumented immigrants for decades.

An Arizona law that makes it illegal for an undocumented immigrant to work in the States was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. Could this ruling be the first step in eventually resolving the divisive issue of what should be done with the almost twelve million undocumented immigrants, some of which have worked in the United States for decades?

The playing field will become more leveled, while businesses will have to acknowledge these workers on their rolls for benefits and tax functions.

Undocumented immigrants will not continue to sabotage the workplace by automatically undercutting jobs. Occupations can be accessible to others who may not be unwilling to work; and

As citizens, taxes will be paid by immigrants and their children will be able to work for a quality of life like all American kids.

And those are the minimal advantages.

More importantly, it’s going to enable us to focus on remedies that are substantive to stop the continuous influx of added undocumented immigrants across our boundaries.

Other civil rights and some Latino groups are calling the ruling racist. But is it?

This reaction more than likely is an expression of the irritation that many undocumented family members feel. They’ve worked to help build agricultural farms and other companies, working for minimum wages, little or no benefits, only to go to the house and hideout, and live with the possible pressure of looking over their shoulder for a law enforcement officer to come knocking. In the meantime, these companies, their owners live as well as thrive.

While undocumented immigrants work to realize the American vision for the owners, their families and these businesses, the American vision appears forever out of reach for them and their families. Their children cannot dream of going to college, getting a great paying job, and becoming upstanding productive citizens.

What should be done about the twelve million undocumented immigrants currently working in the States? Should President Obama and Congress pass an amnesty act that will give citizenship standing to undocumented immigrants? Would it be a good humanitarian first step, with long-term advantages, to solving a really divisive problem?

The Supreme Court on immigration, and this recent ruling, could lay the foundation for this problem to be finally worked out.

What do you believe?