For this month’s forum, Our Community Values (OCV) has chosen the issue of immigration. Few topics elicit so much misinformation, prejudice and outright enmity.

It is often quoted that we are a nation of immigrants, a melting pot, and that those immigrants have contributed to our greatness as a country.

It is also true that historically immigrants have been maligned, if not overtly persecuted for their race or political/religious beliefs.

Maryland, for instance, was formed to give refuge to Catholics who were persecuted by the Puritans in Massachusetts — but did not in turn tolerate Jews or atheists. The Irish, Italians, Chinese, Mexicans, and others have in turn been singled out as being uniquely undesirable as immigrants.

But what are the facts? It surprised me to learn that foreigners cannot now legally migrate to this country just because they want a better life.

Employers can sponsor immigrants to fulfill specific job skills. Families can sponsor relatives to join them here. Refugees can come here via a couple of lengthy and difficult vetting mechanisms (before or after their arrival) if they are escaping war or other threats.

But “the line” for legal economic immigration started forming in 1994 with many people that joined it then still waiting.

Many people believe that immigrants are more likely to commit crimes.

But analysis shows that they do so in significantly smaller proportions than native-born Americans.

We are told that our government is only deporting undocumented immigrants that have committed crimes, while here in Colorado, 82 percent of people in the process of being deported have committed no crime other than that of being undocumented. Just 2 percent of those in the process have been found to have committed an aggravated felony.

Many assume that immigrants are an economic drain on our nation, when in fact, documented immigrants only qualify for benefits after five years, and undocumented immigrants can never qualify. There is a Social Security fund, with billions of dollars in it, for instance, that will not be distributed as benefits because some undocumented immigrants have used invented Social Security numbers to pay into the system with no chance of ever getting any of the money back.

Then there is the fact that the majority of undocumented immigrants in this country now live with at least one U.S. citizen in their family. If their children for instance are citizens, is it right to deport those citizens from the only country they may have ever known?

To discuss these and many other issues, OCV has enlisted Kim Medina who practices immigration law in Fort Collins and specializes in family based immigration, deportation defense, DACA, asylum and humanitarian programs for immigrant victims of crimes and unaccompanied minors. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the winner of the AILA Colorado Chapter’s pro bono award. She is a founder of and volunteer with Fuerza Latina, an immigrant rights group based in Fort Collins.

The forum will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. this Thursday, June 29, in the Devereaux Room of the Rialto Theater Center, 228 E. Fourth St., Loveland.

Please come with questions and join us for this important and topical presentation and discussion.

Bret Nye is the leader of the local political discussion group Our Community Values.