San Diego , California ( CNN ) -- Sen. Chuck Schumer , D-NY , and Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-SC , are demonstrating real leadership on a tough issue . The issue : immigration . Their solution : a comprehensive reform bill combining enforcement with earned legal status for illegal immigrants , which they appear ready to introduce any day now . But before Congress returns to a debate that tied it up in knots a few years ago , and before Americans begin arguing -- on talk radio and blogs , at water coolers and Little League games -- over what to do about border security , workforce needs , the process for immigrating legally , and the status of 10.3 million illegal immigrants , we need to be absolutely clear about why the United States has so much illegal immigration in the first place . Until we can answer that question candidly and without regard for hurt feelings , we 'll never be able to curb the future flow of illegal immigrants . Americans remember the debate over the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act , which offered amnesty to nearly 2.7 million illegal immigrants . Now , many of them want a guarantee that , if they go along with offering illegal immigrants what would this time be a conditional legal status ( as opposed to `` amnesty '' ) , they wo n't have to go through all this again in another 24 years . Well , that 's up to us -- and how we address the question : Why does the United States have so much illegal immigration ? The answer is not as simple as what you hear from the right -- that we have n't been serious about border enforcement , and have instead created a social services magnet that draw migrants north in search of free benefits . And it 's not as simple as what you hear from the left -- that trade deals like NAFTA have destroyed the Mexican economy and thus propelled immigrants north in search of higher wages . It 's not just because of porous borders , or a reluctance to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants , or because Mexico is a `` failed state '' that ca n't provide enough jobs for its own people . Everyone likes to point fingers . And no one wants to accept any degree of responsibility for the problem . That 's what many Americans find so appealing about this fantastical rhetoric about how the country is experiencing an `` invasion '' as if we were all sitting in our backyards and minding our own business when , over the horizon , came an army of nannies , gardeners , housekeepers , short-order cooks , chamber maids , construction workers and farm laborers demanding to do our chores . Why does the United States have so much illegal immigration ? I know the answer . It 's my fault . It 's because of me , and tens of millions of other Americans just like me . We create the demand for illegal immigrant labor not because of anything we do but because of all the things that we will not do -- at any wage . Even as someone who juggles several jobs , I have to admit that my work ethic -- especially for hard , physical labor -- is a distant second to that of my immigrant grandfather who came from Mexico legally in the early 1900 's . My grandfather was a farm worker who would make it a point to show up to a job early and start working a half hour before he clocked in , as his way of showing appreciation to his employer for hiring him . There are days when my employer does n't see me before noon , because I 'm writing somewhere else or giving a speech or making my kids breakfast . My grandfather would do any kind of work without complaint and graciously accept whatever wages were offered because he felt as if the employer was doing him a favor by giving him a way to support his family . When I start a new job , I instinctively negotiate for a higher salary and more vacation time than I had at my last one -- that is , more money for less work -- and I usually feel like I 'm doing the employer a favor by showing up . Now multiply me by 10 million or 20 million . And amplify it for all those Americans who are younger than me , those 18-to-35-year-olds who have been raised by their parents to shun hard work and think of themselves as special and entitled to high-paying and non-strenuous jobs that are also emotionally satisfying . If Americans want to stop importing foreign workers , either legally or illegally , then we had better start producing domestic workers who will do the kinds of hard and dirty jobs that our grandparents did without complaint -- and that now , these many years later , most of us wo n't do without complaining . You wo n't hear that from members of Congress . They 're too worried about staying popular with constituents , and insulting parenting skills would not be helpful . But lawmakers have to get over that , and start dealing with the issue of illegal immigration with honesty and courage . Or they 'll only make the problem worse . Listen up , Congress . A lot of you like to beat your chests and talk tough on this issue . Well , in this case , the problem is with your constituents . They 're the ones who need the scolding . Have at it . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette Jr .
Two senators are crafting immigration reform bill . Navarrette : Nation troubled by idea of repeated amnesty periods for illegal immigrants . He asks key question is why the country continues to accept so many illegal immigrants . Navarrette : Answer is U.S. workers do n't like the hard , physical labor .