Most people dread Mondays, but we’re looking forward to this one.

A Town Hall Meeting on illegal immigration will be held Monday at the Oak Park Mall Community Room from 7 to 9 p.m.

Panelists include Susan Tully, the Midwest field director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform; Ruthi Hendrycks, founder and president for Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform; and Dell Erickson, author and educator.

The meeting comes just more than a week after the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction used a small plane to advertise its message above the Mower County Fair.

The banner trailing the aircraft read, “Keep America Great Deport illegals.”

The Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction is a co-sponsor of Monday’s forum, and while we feel the county fair plane flyby was tacky, we also feel it’s beneficial to have a forum where people on both sides of this important issue can ask questions and share information.

We hope everyone involved with the forum, the panelists, organizers and area residents, keeps an open mind at this event because sharing accurate information and making the effort to understand both sides in a mature manner can only lead to a win-win situation.