It's an election year, so incumbent legislators have been carrying on again with harsh rhetoric to show how tough they are on illegal immigration.

Completely missing from their tough talk, however, has been any articulate policy- let alone any real improvements in our border security- from those who tout themselves as "leaders" on this issue.

When was the last time those who rely on immigrant labor in this district- e.g., farmers, construction firms, software companies- could sit down with their representatives to communicate the number of legal workers they need?

Voters in our district deserve representatives who will answer their questions on this critical issue, show up for important debates and- beyond their fluff mailers- develop smart policies on the issues that matter.

The first component of a smart immigration policy is to physically secure our borders to stop the flow of more illegal entrants. The U.S. Border Patrol made over 1 million arrests last year. Physically securing the border is a necessity not just for a workable immigration policy but for basic national security itself.

As we're securing our borders, we need to develop rational policies to address the 11 million or more illegal immigrants already here. Just as it's absurd to think we could imprison them all, it's absurd to think that we should round up and deport them all either.

There's one obvious group of illegal immigrants, however, that we should deport immediately, since they are the costliest of all: the criminals who harm our neighbors and occupy our prisons.

You'd think this were obvious, but there's a bill offered in the House by a particular congressman that would instead put these unwanted trespassers in federal prison for four to 10 years - at our expense. Bad idea.

As to the others, many will leave on their own or when faced with the enforcement of our laws.

Many, however, are the kinds of people we might well like to have as our fellow citizens one day- hardworking, family oriented, tax-paying individuals who we'd likely have let in the front door if it weren't so gummed up.

This isn't "amnesty"- a label used by some to criticize anything short of mass imprisonment. It's not "amnesty" to make them pay a penalty, put them at the back of the line and deport those who can't contribute to our society.

Finally, a comprehensive immigration policy would look to the future.

Apart from leaving our borders unprotected, Congress has failed to set appropriate levels of legal immigration.

Just as firms in Silicon Valley draw talent they need from foreign countries through the H1B visa program, so, too, should other industries have sufficient access to the legal labor they demand.

There's something seriously wrong when incumbents are reelected literally for decades with no real results in terms of stemming the flow of illegal entrants and fixing our nation's problems.

If we're going to get serious about border security and immigration reform, it's going to take some new blood in Washington.

Tenenbaum is a Republican primary candidate for U.S. Congress in the 24th District.