is a student at Bethesda-Chevy Chase

High School.

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It's about a 20-minute drive from Montgomery Blair High School to the U.S. Capitol building. But in some ways, the distance couldn't be greater.

At Blair, there is no immigration "debate." Blair is home to immigrants struggling to complete their high school education after receiving practically no traditional schooling in their home countries. It is home to students who are working long hours after school to support families facing the challenges of living in a new country. And it is home to students who are facing deportation.

As a friend recently pointed out, the bill sponsored by Reps. Pete King and James Sensenbrenner could make felons out of many Blair teachers who help children of illegal immigrants. It prioritizes the political opportunity offered by popular xenophobia over the morality and practicality of helping the illegal immigrants who are already here and will probably never leave. Then again, King and Sensenbrenner haven't visited Blair yet.

-- Armin Rosen

is a student at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring.