Legal immigrants should prevail
Tue, Apr 18, 2006

I am perplexed by the many specious arguments by those who support allowing millions of illegal immigrants to remain in our country. Put aside, for a moment, the concerns of breaking American laws, of suppressing wages, particularly for Americans of modest means, and the obvious security issues. What I’m particularly concerned about is the unfairness of these proposals to those who are striving to become part of our society via legal means.

Here in Rochester, we have many physicians, scientists, engineers and others who legally came to the United States seeking advanced training and work. They have discovered that America offers greater opportunity, and are working through the complex process of becoming permanent residents and, eventually, citizens. They are spending thousands of dollars to legally become Americans, and frequently are met by a brick wall and told to go home. It is even worse for those living overseas, who have been waiting many years for permission to live in the United States.

Why are we considering making it easy for those who broke our laws, don’t speak our language, have few if any skills, and hurt our economy, to stay in the U.S., while at the same time making it next to impossible for those with advanced training and skills to become Americans? Does this make any sense?

J. A.
Oronoco