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The journey to a better life in this nation has long been treacherous and the torturous demise this week of 10 who were trying to sneak into the U.S. in a tractor-trailer with no air conditioning was a tragic reminder of that.

It also was a reminder of the fact that as long as our fellow humans are willing to risk their lives to set foot in this land and as long as there are traffickers willing to capitalize on those desires there is little that can be done to stem that tide.

It certainly puts the lie to the notion a border wall could have much impact on such illegal immigration. That is because of the great number of truck crossings made every day crossings that are fundamental to the growth of commerce in the U.S.

In 2016, 5.8 million trucks made Southern U.S. border crossings, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Nearly that many more containers made the crossing on trucks. While those trucks are subject to a variety of inspections and U.S. regulations, there is no way all could be inspected.

A key question that must be answered, then, is this: How can we stop more tragedies like this one from occurring? Is it possible to stop those clamoring to escape danger and poverty in their home countries?

Clearly, telling people to only come into the country legally is not working. Those paths are few. And as the ringleaders of these human smuggling rackets well know, desperate people do desperate things.

If people are willing to put themselves at such dire risk to be here, we must ask ourselves whether our Christian principles agree with turning our backs on them, or if those principles demand we find ways to help. And if that is the case, what can be done?

We believe it will take a functional legal mechanism for such immigrants to come here. If that existed, the need to take deadly risks would decline. Remember, immigrants are dying not only in tractor-trailers but when they attempt to cross U.S. Southern deserts.

This is where comprehensive immigration reform comes in. Our system is broken. It sets artificial quotas on how many immigrants will be welcomed and the laws, as currently enforced, set a premium on punishing the immigrants but virtually leaving alone those who employ them. Meanwhile, industries are in need of workers because Americans simply refuse to do many jobs.

Comprehensive reform could fix all this. Unfortunately, Congress is more interested in scare tactics and punishment than fixes the House recently passed a bill further criminalizing undocumented entry and imposing penalties on so-called sanctuary cities.

Of course human trafficking is a scourge that should be tackled with the full force of the law. But immigration law itself also demands immediate attention.

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Editorial: Tragic human smuggling deathsshow need for immigration reform - Longview News-Journal