This nation desperately needs thoughtful, comprehensive immigration reform that balances the needs of the country, protects U.S. citizens, and offers the compassion and hope that have made America a beacon for immigrants since its founding.

Unfortunately, that's not what Republican nominee Donald Trump offered last week in a fire-breathing "policy" speech that spent as much time demonizing immigrants as it did enumerating his plans. There has been a lot of confusion about what exactly Trump proposed, with some insisting they saw a softening, others a hardening.

Did he back away from his initial pledge to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, or did he double down by vowing to start with criminals and work his way from there? In a way, it matters little, because Trump micro-pivots regularly, depending on his audience. His immigration policy rollout was a prime example — beginning with a soft-spoken Trump attempting his version of diplomacy while in Mexico, then hours later whipping an Arizona crowd into a bloodthirsty frenzy with lurid descriptions of criminal illegal immigrants and thundering cries to create "deportation forces" and "ideological certifications" that somehow would discern whether newcomers would "love us."

The lone nugget of truth in his spew is that immigration remains broken because powerful forces are blocking change. The fact is, the U.S. does need to tighten its borders. It could have done so years ago but for Republican intransigence on making any concession for the millions of immigrants who have built solid, work-filled, taxpaying lives that are law-abiding save for the initial transgression of entering without proper documents.

The need for these workers clearly exists. But legal immigration rates remain stubbornly, absurdly low. According to the National Visa Center, 4.4 million people worldwide applied for visas last year that would unite them with family members. Another 4.5 million sought employment visas — and keep in mind, such visas typically require an employer offering to sponsor the applicant. This year the U.S. will issue a total of about 366,000 visas worldwide. Employers still get their workers — just check most hotels, restaurants or construction sites in America — but they get a shadow workforce, low-paid, easily manipulated and willing to accept working conditions Americans would rightly balk at.

The U.S. needs a realistic entry rate, based on skills needed and jobs available, along with a reasonable amount of family reunification. There should be a strict standard for adhering to U.S. law. Those convicted of crimes should be deported posthaste — there are too many people across the world seeking entry to this country with much to contribute to be giving second chances to lawbreakers. The U.S. has been hampered in this effort by countries unwilling to take back criminal immigrants. But this nation has much leverage to wield, if it has the will. One move would be to suspend all visa applications for countries that refuse to cooperate with deportation cases.

The wall, even if such a terrible thing could be built, would be a waste of resources. A growing number of immigrants come legally and overstay their visas, or enter by a means other than physically crossing our southern border. Solid data are difficult to come by, but some estimates put the figure as high as 40 percent of all undocumented immigrants. The money would be far better spent in less flashy ways — doing the tedious work of tracking down those who overstay visas, beefing up security at borders and ports of entry, and rigorously locating and deporting those with criminal convictions.

There should be, as Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has proposed, a path to legalization for those who have earned it. That's not a revolutionary or particularly partisan idea. Some Republicans — including former Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, before he was cowed — have backed such a plan, coupled with strengthened border security. In the 1980s, no less a figure than President Ronald Reagan administered an amnesty program that brought millions into legal status. It did not curb further illegal immigration in part because Congress failed to fund border security efforts and — here's the tough one — it gutted employer sanctions meant to break the addiction to cheap, illegal labor.

That's the real nut this country has yet to crack. Immigrants come here for jobs. Many employers do the right thing and are committed to hiring only legal applicants. But there are whole industries that do not. The excuse in the 1980s was that detecting false passports, green cards and visas could prove too difficult for employers. But technology has come a long way since then. Employers should be able to submit a job applicant's documentation to a government office and have it come back approved or denied. That will take resources, so that government is not the bottleneck. After that, sanctions for hiring undocumented immigrants should be swift and severe, to provide a realistic deterrent.

When you hear candidates talk about that piece, you'll know they're serious about fixing immigration.