The familiar tune sounded familiar, but the words were foreign Monday as protesters sang &8220;We Shall Overcome&8221; in Spanish outside the Mississippi Capitol.

The immigration reform debate, like the Civil Rights battles of yesteryear, often spark lots of emotion, emotion which can quickly turn a peaceful protest into a violent incident.

Add in a heavy helping of politics and logic often gets thrown out the door.

Last week&8217;s sudden abandonment of landmark immigration reform legislation is a prime example.

Americans largely seem split on the debate.

Many residents believe strongly that illegal immigrants are breaking the law and the solution is through more strict enforcement.

The other side sees the issue as one of basic human rights.

The truth &8212; and the ultimate solution to the problem &8212; is somewhere in the middle.

America needs to devote more resources to border security.

That&8217;s a simple fact.

If millions of illegal immigrants can walk into this country, what&8217;s preventing terrorists from doing the same?

Conversely, our economy probably would not be able to handle a sudden exodus of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already here.

The solution is providing some avenue for currently illegal workers to stay while carefully regulating the entry of new foreign nationals.

Until the enflamed rhetoric subsides so real discussion can follow, our country will be singing the blues &8212; regardless of the language.