America is a country built on the backbones of immigrants. Unfortunately, to preserve this tradition, the government has allowed individuals to circumvent the immigration system and slip into our borders. The majority of these individuals are seeking a better way of life; all of them are not. Despite the reason, these individuals are in this country illegally. They are breaking the law and strategies must be developed to curtail this practice. Few subjects are so fraught with misinformation and lack of information, complexity and paradox, political interest and governmental neglect, social concern and human callousness, careful economic analysis andfiscal incertitude as the issue of illegal immigration. Our government has grappled with and failed, and continues to grapple with, this issue. As a result, most Americans have overlooked factors of illegal immigration that have potential for national concern. This project does not. It delves into the "dark side" of illegal immigration and its impact on national security, crime, the economy, the political structure, and the lack of cultural assimilation. It concludes with a review of the President's proposed "way ahead" and offers a strategic-level integrated approach to the problem.