Time to make legal immigration the only immigration
I agree with Pramila Jaiyapa; we need immigration reform. [“We can’t afford to wait on immigration reform,” Opinion, April 15.] However, I do not agree with reform as she wants it — to give illegal immigrants a free pass to citizenship by legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants.
Being an illegal immigrant is a criminal act. The United States is a generous country, but we should not reward bad choices, as we did with the company bailouts, by having to pay more of our tax dollars to reward them.
Patience is wearing thin by law-abiding citizens who are paying for all the free benefits that illegals have been getting. My heart goes out to those facing deportation and the separation of families, but they need to face the consequences of bad choices and a gamble that Americans would just accept it as a cost of being a giving country.
We need immigration reform by tightening our borders, deporting illegals and helping those who are here legally to become citizens. Those who are here illegally should not have a voice to force themselves upon us.
— Larry Brickman, Bellevue
Rights only for those made in the USA
Who started the rumor that if you are born anywhere on Earth, you have the right to become an American citizen?
The United States cannot accept the output of the world’s choice to overpopulate, under-educate and commit war and famine instead of peace and prosperity. Immigrants in the past came to make the United States better, not just to improve their personal lives and fortunes. This country is great because real citizens shed blood, sweat and tears over the centuries to make this country the free, prosperous nation that it is.
The proper immigration reform would be to close our borders, send undocumented families to the adults’ country of origin and then revise the 14th Amendment to only give citizenship to babies who are born to U.S. citizens. Removing the back door “anchor baby” path to citizenship would reduce illegal border crossings, as would an improved guest-worker program.
Citizenship is a sacred birthright, and should not be casually given away. We are not all one family. The University of Washington is for taxpaying citizens and invited attendees and American troops are not dying in the Middle East for the rights of undocumented aliens to enjoy the safety, security and benefits of the United States for free.
— Byron Gilbert, Seattle