The phrase "illegal immigration" conjures up many a frightening scenario.

There's the threat of terrorism, which we're told will be thwarted by building a partially funded, partial fence.

Then there's the fear of losing our culture, whatever that means.

And then there's the more realistic issue of the economic toll illegal immigrants place on our local, state and federal economies.

The Texas Legislature has before it an array of bills that would address the specter of illegal immigration when it convenes in January.

Among them is a proposal by Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, that would deny citizenship to children born on this side of the border to illegal immigrants.

These children also would be denied public health care, public education and public assistance.

Talk about a pack of shortsighted strategies.

Let's take the first one. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

The amendment goes on to say that no state shall make or enforce a law abridging that right.

Berman argues that the amendment only pertains to the children of slaves, not illegal immigrants. He wants the case to go to court, "to get that question answered," he told the Tyler Morning Telegraph this month.

The Supreme Court weighed in on the issue in a 1982 public education case out of Tyler, interestingly enough. In Plyler vs. Doe, the court found that children of illegal immigrants, regardless of where they were born, could not be denied a public education, It did not rule specifically on the citizenship question.

Berman's proposal would also deny health care and education to children born in the United States if their parents are illegal immigrants. Even if that were constitutional, it would only result in one thing: a poorer, less educated Texas down the road.

That's something we can ill afford. This state is going to be half Hispanic by 2040. In 2000, fewer than 9 percent of Texas Hispanics had a college degree. Denying children of illegal immigrants an education isn't going to make them go home to a country they don't know.

It will, however, make them more of a burden on society.

At the risk of offending those English Only-ers, it's time to wake up and smell the café. There are other ways of addressing the presence of at least 12 million illegal bodies in this country.

One community is using the constructive approach.

Earlier this week, two Houston hospitals and the Mexican Consulate opened an information center to shepherd immigrants through the health care maze. The goal is to get patients out of emergency rooms and into nonprofit clinics, where they can get preventive and nonemergency care.

Other communities are doing just the opposite.

Farmers Branch, a small city north of Dallas, voted this week to fine landlords who rent to illegal immigrants. They also voted to make English the official language of Farmers Branch.

Clearly, the council believes that ridding the city of illegals will blanket that fine town with tranquility, safety and a return to moral order.

This resolution was an emergency, according to the resolution language, because current ordinances "are inadequate to properly safeguard the health, safety, morals, peace and general welfare of the public."

A letter writer in the Houston Chronicle praised the decision in glowing terms.

"Finally, a community is upholding our American heritage. Whether a person moves here legally or illegally, most come for the great things our country offers. So none should get upset if we want to keep it the way we like it and not conform to some other culture."

Unfortunately, sir, we're already conforming to another culture.

It's the culture of fear.