The op-ed piece by Marjorie Cortez on immigration leaves me wondering why some people so deliberately and often try to obliterate the vast difference between a legal and an illegal action. The United States has been one of the most generous of all nations in accepting immigrants throughout its history, including now.
Generosity has to stop somewhere, and pretty clearly a large majority of Americans favor illegal immigrants being returned now to their country of origin.Cortez seems to dispute that Americans should make their own decision in this matter and also seems to feel that if Mexicans disagree they should simply skulk across the border and, presto, be entitled to be treated as U.S. citizens.
Several weeks ago I was in Los Angeles and saw a mob of illegal aliens estimated by police at about 70,000 parading down the street under the national flag of Mexico, carrying signs and demanding they receive unlimited medical and educational bounty and so forth from the United States forever and free.
I was not particularly surprised inasmuch as Gov. Pete Wilson for quite some time has been demanding federal action against what he rightly terms an invasion from Mexico. The parade of illegals simply further verified the need for drastic action.
Cortez maintains, "A nation built by immigrants now says illegal immigrants are not welcome here." In point of fact, illegal immigrants weren't welcome before either, and legal immigrants are welcome now just as they always have been. Every illegal alien is really stealing a place in the immigration line that another who won't break American law is anxiously waiting to fill.
Would Cortez be enthusiastic if someone stole her paycheck and then simply said, "I stole it all right, but I want to keep it and so it's mine?"
Carl Friberg
South Jordan