Two stories came out over the last week, showing that we are, indeed, making progress on the illegal alien problem.

First up, there was this story from the New York Times about how many illegal aliens are fleeing the state. The hook on this story is that legal immigrants are leaving, too -- they are following their illegal relatives.

This is a reversal of what had become the standard model -- one alien comes here illegally, starts making some money, and then brings their relatives in after them. In this case, the illegal alien is once again blazing the trail across the border, but this time to the south -- and the legal ones, unwilling to be separated from their illegal kin, are packing up and following.

Despite what the New York Times says, this is a GOOD trend.

Next up, the Boston Globe reports that more and more illegal aliens are filing and paying their taxes. The motivating factor seems to be the various amnesty proposals over the past few years; one key element of all of them has been the payment of various back taxes. The illegals say that they are laying the groundwork for their eventual application for legal status should one of these amnesty bills get passed (as they were in 1964 and 1986).

This is a good thing. Any time anyone decides to stop breaking a law and pay their fair share of taxes, I am happy.

But it's not enough.

We're talking about citizenship (or, at least, legal immigration status) here, not a Clinton presidential pardon. It's not for sale.

When these illegal aliens stop breaking other laws (such as identity theft, Social Security fraud, various and sundry labor laws, driving laws, and the like), then we ought to consider allowing them to stay here legally. After they go back home and get in line behind those who have already started the legal process, of course -- we should NEVER reward "line-cutters" and law-breakers ahead of those who are demonstrating respect for our laws and trying to come to America legally and properly.

Yes, it's a smidgen discouraging that the leading presidential candidates have lengthy records for being very soft on illegal immigration. But while we might despair at the big picture, there are a lot of small details that indicate just the opposite may be occurring.

Here's hoping that the trends continue, and the separate states continue their own pushes to do what the federal government refuses to do -- enforce our sovereignty and secure our borders and stem the tide of illegal aliens.

And while the outlook for the federal government actually taking the matter seriously seems grim, we should never concede defeat. Let's keep the heat on Clinton, McCain, and Obama to actually enforce the laws, regardless of who wins in November.

It might not get them to actually do so, but it might check some of their more egregious impulses.