Five hundred and thirty-five people in Washington -- that's 100 senators and 435 representatives -- need a courage transplant so they can tackle the immigration mess.

In the vacuum created by Congress' timidity, immigration policy is now being made locally by sheriffs and police chiefs.

Some, like Terry Johnson, Alamance County's grandstanding sheriff, are eagerly rounding up every illegal immigrant they can find. In Wake County and elsewhere, officers at the jail check the immigration status of almost anyone who comes in the door.

Policies like these make illegal immigrants fearful of any contact with police or government and drive them even further underground. Things they are reluctant or unable to do include: getting immunizations, getting treated for communicable diseases, obtaining drivers' licenses and insurance, and reporting crime.

Unreported crimes are a problem, as Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez explained in The N&O this week. "A lot of times, to be able to counter a criminal act, we have to look at the pattern," he said. "If we don't see a pattern because it's not reported, then not much can be done."

While we wait for a national solution, I think Lopez and Durham have the policy just about right: Check the legal status of people accused of serious crimes and deport them if warranted. Leave the rest alone. Cops have more pressing concerns.

Yes, we need to stop people from illegally crossing the borders. But expelling the 10 million or so already here is impossible -- and it's mean. Many families have been here for years; their children are natural-born Americans. We need to assimilate most of them.