We’re all familiar with the old piece of advice, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but what are we to do when it is broken? What about when it’s painfully obvious how broken it is? That’s the current state of our immigration system. It’s painfully broken, and it’s not something we can afford to put off any longer.

There are some proponents for immigration reform that will only agree to take steps toward legalization of undocumented immigrants if and only if the border is “secured.” A survey by the Pew Research Center shows that a majority of Americans believe that illegal immigration is higher than it was 10 years ago. In reality, it’s at a 40-year low.

Every benchmark set for border control has been met, and the border is more secure than ever. We have a perception problem regarding the border. The reality is that regardless of the border, we currently have some 11.7 million human beings living in this country who are waiting to live in this country without fear. These people pay taxes, work hard and love this country, and since Congress agrees that mass deportations are not the answer, they will still be here once borders are “secured.”

While we work on the very real problem of the border, why not let these people begin the process of becoming legal residents? Why not let their children — thousands of whom are citizens — worry about their education or kid stuff instead of whether their parents will be deported? It’s clear our system is broken. So let’s fix it.