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The Supreme Court ruling to uphold key parts of Arizona’s controversial immigration law reignited a lively discussion among readers about our June 25 cover story on undocumented immigrants.

Re “Not Legal, Not Leaving” [June 25]: The U.S., land of the free, has the power to lead on social issues. I hope Obama will be able to change the way people think about the immigrants who have contributed to the growth of their country.

Jon Andrew R. Sison, MANILA

There is a huge difference between children who are placed in a situation they have no way out of and adults who knowingly break the law. Those adults who jump the fence or swim the river should be rounded up and deported. But that constitutes only a small percentage of what the debate needs to be about.

Rainer_Dammers, on TIME.com

Kudos to Jose Antonio Vargas and TIME for a thoughtful and compelling piece on undocumented Americans. However, the graphic on page 39 should have made clear that the paths to legal residency shown are only for people who are outside the U.S. or who entered the country with a visa. For the millions who arrived here without permission, obtaining a green card upon marriage to a U.S. citizen requires the immigrant to leave the country, typically triggering a 10-year bar on his or her return. Getting that bar lifted involves proving a case of extreme hardship to the citizen, a costly and difficult procedure that can leave families separated for many months or years. It is a lengthier and much more difficult process than the graphic suggests.

Ruth Gomberg-Muoz, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago, CHICAGO

‘There is no process. There is no way for people like us to come forward and say we’re here.’

JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS, the cover story’s author, responding to a reader’s question about why he hasn’t applied for citizenship, during a June 20 video chat. The event, which was streamed live on TIME.com was our first Google Hangout on Air. Look for more of them in the weeks ahead