When U.S. Sen. Rand Paul spoke to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce last week about his ideas for involving the Republican Party in the discussion about immigration reform and allowing illegal immigrants in the United States to achieve some legal status, it seemed, for some in the Bowling Green area involved in immigration issues, to signal a step in a long-awaited direction.

“What came to my mind was reason has taken over insanity,” said Albert Mbanfu, director of the International Center of Bowling Green and Owensboro.

It was a positive surprise to hear the senator from Bowling Green take what he considers a reasonable stance on the subject, Mbanfu said.

Though Paul avoided saying that he’s in favor of a “path to citizenship” during the speech, he did say it’s time to admit that the government isn’t going to deport the estimated 11 million people who are living undocumented in the U.S.

“Immigration reform will not occur until conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution,” Paul said. “I am here today to begin that conversation.”

He said securing the country’s borders is an important part of immigration reform, and illegal immigrants should be allowed to have work permits and live for a time under a probationary legal status.

Paul talked about his childhood in Texas, sometimes working alongside undocumented workers. He occasionally transitioned to a few phrases in Spanish and pulled from the pantheon of famous Spanish-language writers to bolster his own words, paying homage to the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and quoting verse from Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

Mbanfu said that, as Paul indicated, it’s impractical to think of deporting the millions of undocumented individuals living in the United States. 

Pretending the problem doesn’t exist, and allowing those individuals to live outside the system, isn’t an option either, he said.

Immigration reform is needed because currently illegal immigrants are a drain on the system. Many don’t have insurance and use the emergency room as primary health care, leaving the taxpayers picking up the bill, he said. 

Giving currently undocumented immigrants legal status would also mean more people working and paying taxes to city, county, state and federal governments, Mbanfu said.

“But right now they are in the shadows, and they are working under the table,” he said.

Immigration reform is also morally the right thing to do so that families are not torn apart through deportations, Mbanfu said.

“You cannot separate individuals from their families forever,” he said.

Family values are an important part of the Republican Party, but that isn’t reflected in the stance of many Republicans on immigration issues, Mbanfu said.

“It’s kind of a paradox to me,” he said.

Mbanfu sees a split occurring in Republican representatives in Washington. He said those from traditionally red states are unlikely to support immigration reform, but those from traditionally blue states seem to be moving toward reform.

Though Paul avoided talking directly about citizenship in his speech, Mbanfu said watching Paul’s face and the way that he spoke indicate something different.

“I believe he will be willing to support citizenship if it comes to that,” he said.

Judy Schwank, an immigration attorney based in Bowling Green, said Paul has been involved in helping those in need from other countries in the past.

She said Paul’s speech in itself is unlikely to make a difference in the debate in the Republican Party over immigration, but there does need to be some give and take between the tea party movement that Paul is a part of and the rest of the Republican Party, she said.

Hispanics are a growing demographic within the U.S., and if Republicans don’t embrace some kind of immigration reform, “they’re not going to win any more elections,” Schwank said.

It’s not possible to deport millions of illegal immigrants, she said.

Schwank said she’s seen families torn apart by deportation in her work, and it is heartbreaking.

“Most people do not realize how much these people are contributing to society,” she said.

The movement of people is a natural part of the way the world works, Schwank said.

“Man can put up artificial borders, but you still have the movement of people from place to place in search of a better life,” she said.

– The Associated Press contributed to this story