Given the distance between the U.S. - Mexico border and western Pennsylvania, you may think that illegal immigration would rate fairly low on the region's list of concerns.

You may want to think again.

The arrest last month of eight illegal Mexican immigrants in Moon is the latest indication that illegal immigration is a growing problem in the region, and one that must be addressed,

The eight men, apprehended in a raid on a Moon apartment on March 23, face charges of running an extensive heroin trafficking ring that stretched from Allegheny and Beaver counties in Pennsylvania to Columbus, Ohio.

The incident, as well as others in Moon over the past several months, have prompted state Rep. Mark Mustio to renew his call for the state Legislature to pass a group of five bills that have been designated the National Security Begins at Home package.

One of the bills, sponsored by Mustio, would call for the termination of the professional license of any employer who knowingly hires an illegal alien.

Another would require employers to enroll in the Federal Social Security New Employee Verification Program, and two would improve Pennsylvania State Police's ability to enforce federal immigration laws and include immigration status in the criminal histories of those arrested.

The final, and perhaps most dramatic, bill would eliminate all public benefits, aside from emergency medical treatment, for illegal aliens. That would prevent them from collecting welfare, unemployment or education benefits.

The tone of the bills may seem harsh, but it is entirely appropriate.

The new measures would in no way punish immigrants who have come to this country legally and are striving to both improve their lives and to become contributing members of the airport-area community.

But they would send a strong message to those who have come to the region illegally, especially those who have done so in the hope of conducting or expanding their illicit activities.

They would also give state and local law enforcement more resources to track illegal immigrants and more authority to act swiftly and decisively to prosecute those who are caught.

There is no telling if or when the federal government will take substantial steps to address the problem of illegal immigration.

But that does not mean that Pennsylvania lawmakers can not step to the plate now and do what they can to ensure the safety of their constituents and the economic well being of the Commonwealth.