Letters

Immigration issue hits close to home for many Americans

I found the March 27 article, "Latin leaders balk at US 'wall,' " to be unbalanced and overwhelmingly favored toward those who are against a border fence. There was no mention as to what goes on along the border besides illegal immigration, including drug smuggling and incursions by the Mexican military. One county along the US border has already declared a state of emergency due to the chaos. The article also implied that building a fence is far too drastic, without noting that Mexico's own border with Guatemala is highly secured. The hypocrisy certainly runs deep on this issue.

I think anyone who supports an open border also tacitly supports drug smuggling, illegal immigration, and increased levels of violence in the area. To be concerned mainly with the feelings of Latin American leaders and not the welfare of US citizens shows a questionable order of priorities, to say the least.
David Conrad
Ellensburg, Wash.

Regarding the March 27 article, "Paradoxes of immigration hit US Senate": In all the media coverage of the Senate's debate about immigration, the impact of continued mass immigration on our population growth has been ignored. We now have at least 300 million Americans, and the Census Bureau projects that we will have more than half a billion only 38 years from now. Our population will continue skyrocketing toward a billion Americans by the end of this century. Over 90 percent of that increase will be from immigrants who have arrived since 1970 and their descendants.

Will any of our many problems be easier to solve with a larger population?
Thomas P. McKenna
President, Vermonters for a Sustainable US Population
Montpelier, Vt.

In response to the March 29 article, "South of the border, fence is no deterrent": If the United States were really serious about illegal migrants in this country, there is a simple solution. Stop the job handouts, welfare, and free schooling and medical care.

This is all a big joke; it is election time. It seems elected officials are all playing a game - not being forceful about immigration reform - for votes; there will be no change in immigration laws in this country. The old saying applies, "If you build it, they will come." This country is building a life for illegals, and they are coming. It seems most of the citizens of this country want them out, but representatives don't listen to us.
Cecilia White
Bethlehem, Pa.

Regarding the March 29 editorial, "Blocking illegal migrants - and rhetoric," America is not the only country with a self-created problem with illegal migrants. France, Germany, and Britain also have this situation.

Your argument that so-called illegal migrants are superfluous to our labor force is patently ridiculous. I live in California, which has very large agricultural production. It is an absolute fact that growers would not be able to harvest their crops with only legal workers, since there are not enough of them who will endure the backbreaking work while also enduring the high temperatures in the valley.

We will continue to have people overcoming our ever-increasing efforts to keep them out, as long as they can come here and raise money to feed their families. I think those who say that illegal migrants are taking away jobs from legal American workers are hypocrites.
Duke Smith
San Francisco

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