From the talk we've heard lately about immigration (Secure the borders! Build a giant fence!), one would think immigrants bring nothing but problems.

No doubt, many of them do. But a visit to a class at Millbrook High School where immigrants are struggling to learn English offers a fresh perspective.

At the classes, offered by Wake Tech, you meet people like Khaingzer See, 25, a doctor back in Myanmar but, over here, just a job-seeker (unsuccessful so far) with limited English skills. Or meet Guillermo Hernandez, 23, who has a bachelor's degree in administration and business from a university in Mexico but works as an au pair here.

Row R'Com, 42, fled Vietnam after suffering ethnic discrimination. (He's a Montagnard.) He works in maintenance for a residential complex in North Raleigh, but one gets the feeling he can contribute more than that to North Carolina's economy once he improves his English; He survived eight months in a jungle while fleeing oppressors.

Robert Pakiela, 29, who came here from Poland a year ago, was about the only student in a class Tuesday evening who was not underemployed. An engineer who makes maps, he works in a technical field where language may not be as much of a barrier as for others.

It's debatable whether immigrants take jobs from Americans, as some believe, or take jobs most Americans don't want. But it's clear from the students in these classes that many immigrants bring some serious skills and commendable attitudes to our shores.

In a survey of the students by Roger Regan, a teacher in the program, the students came from more than 15 countries. The average age was 33.

If they bring a lot of problems, it was not apparent from a visit to the class. But it was clear they bring much opportunity.