Let’s build a bridge to welcome legal immigrants
Published 3:36 pm Wednesday, March 2, 2016
In response to Ms. Alice Hori’s letter in the Feb. 26 issue of the Auburn Reporter: I agree with her that “most immigrants are hardworking, family-centered people who come to better themselves.”
I am also an immigrant. My brother and sisters and their husbands are also immigrants. And so is my wife. We all came to America legally, though. We integrated ourselves into the mainstream and worked hard to rise in ranks in our chosen professions.
One of my sisters is a registered nurse, another is a social worker, and another is an accountant. My wife at first worked at McDonald’s, then she became a mental health counselor. She worked on her master of science degree, became a licensed social worker for the state of Washington, and now she’s in her last year pursuing her degree in law at UW.
My brother and I both joined the military, rose in ranks and each of us served this country for 20 years. When I left the service, I became a cop in Florida and then served the community where I used to live for 15 years.
Yes, we all worked hard in pursuing the American Dream. We are all fully grateful for this great country for the opportunities. We gave back our share in the progress of this country. None of us have depended on government handouts.
And this was made possible because we all came into this country legally. We followed the law.
As to that quote that Alice Hori extracted from the American Immigration Council
that “immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes or be behind bars than the native-born, and high rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of violent and property crime.”
And that this “holds true for both legal immigrants and the unauthorized, regardless of their country of origin or level of education.” May I beg to differ?
According to Congressional Research Service, “roughly one in six illegals were arrested for committing crimes that includes murder, sex crimes, drunk driving offenses and other felonies.”
And, according to the Department of Homeland Security, “700,000 new illegals enter each year” into our country. And, according to various Census Bureau surveys, there are now “12 million to 20 million illegal aliens” in this country, due to the “problem of porous borders and efforts to avoid detection.”
I agree, with Ms. Alice Hori in extending a “warm welcome to all who wants to work and thrive in this nation of immigrants.” But not to illegals, who won’t follow the immigration law and who keep on breaking other laws, tremendously adding to the crimes committed by the “native-born” of our country.
America is a sovereign country. Let’s close the borders and build that wall to prevent unwanted and crime-prone illegals from entering our country. On the other hand, let’s also build a “bridge” to welcome legal immigrants, and to borrow Ms. Hori’s words, “to all who want to work and thrive in this nation of immigrants.”
– Jesse Jose
