As we editorialized one week ago, rumors and conspiracy theories about loads of illegal immigrants being secretly housed in Lycoming County are an obstacle to our society having the necessary dialogue to improve both the security of our border and our nation’s immigration policies.

We would be remiss if we did not note obstacles from another direction: Gov. Josh Shapiro’s dismissal of the possibility of sending the Pennsylvania National Guard to assist at the U.S.-Mexico border.

We agree with Shapiro — as we indicated in that editorial one week ago — that our federal lawmakers need to address immigration policy and the border.

But regardless of their success or lack thereof, there will be numbers of people arriving at our border — some to patiently wait to comply with whatever steps they anticipate they need to take to immigrate legally, and some looking to evasively cross, to hide their presence in communities and to resist any semblance of order or respect for our laws.

Our states working together to identify and when warranted to deport illegal immigrants will provide a better foundation for reforming immigration processes. We need to recognize that some Americans will be reassured by a commitment to deporting or barring those immigrants who pose risks to our communities and some Americans will be reassured by a commitment to more easily welcoming those immigrants who only want to build better lives for their families and to contribute to our communities.

If the day is not here yet when our state’s National Guard can provide assistance in managing both aspects on the ground, it very well may be here soon. We found the Shapiro administration’s response to this request, reported in a Center Square article in last Thursday’s edition, to be too dismissive of that reality and too short-sighted.