Is US Immigration Policy Restrictive Enough?

The article "The New Americans," June 17, is a welcome overview of immigration, a topic which does not get enough attention in the American press. Unfortunately, I feel the article fosters two misconceptions.

First, the author has implied that United States immigration regulations are increasingly restrictive. As one who works in immigration, I must say that the trend is quite the opposite, as the ever-growing number of immigrants attests. No country accepts more immigrants or discriminates less with regard to the types of people it will accept than the US.

The author also mischaracterizes critics of immigration policy as advocates of "snatching away the welcome mat" and "slamming the door." In fact, few people would advocate so drastic a change even if they believed it were possible. Most critics argue for fairness, and point out that the US has largely lost control of the number of people it accepts. Bruce J. Levine, Smithtown, N.Y. Don't compare Ukraine and Russia

In their Opinion page article "Ukraine Is Losing Its Battle for Independence," May 31, the authors have given a pessimistic prognosis for Ukraine's independence. They cite an unidentified US official who says of Ukraine that the US will not "throw money down a rat hole," and that until Ukraine makes the tough choice Russia has made, "they are a rat hole." The authors claim that Ukraine's progress toward privatization and the adoption of free-market principles lags behind that of Russia. Given the availab le facts, I would not consider the situation in Russia to be as bright as the authors believe.

It will be difficult to ensure that the situation in the Ukraine is perfect. However, it should be noted that Ukraine's President Leonid Kravchuk has never asked for a huge amount of money from the West. Instead, he has asked for credits to create new technologies to transfer to a market economy as soon as possible. Marta Sydir, Parma, Ohio