On Illegal Immigration

The following is a letter to the editor that I just sent to the Providence Journal. I sent it after I saw this article on the front page of this morning's ProJo, with the headline and caption above the picture with the story (and over the picture on ProJo.com) "Strike for Immigrants' Rights". The letter pretty much sums up how I feel about illegal immigration and the debate that is going on today, and how the media is trying to portray it:

"Be Honest With Your Captions and Headlines

I noticed your headline and caption on the front page of the Providence Journal of April 26th "Strike for Immigrants' Rights". While I appreciate the media and the Providence Journal's attempt to surreptitiously effect the debate on our borders, the headline is not true. The rallies and marches that we have seen recently, and the strike that is planned for Monday, is for illegal immigrants' rights, the operative and most important word being illegal. The people we are talking about have broken the law.

By intentionally leaving out the word "illegal", the Journal and the media is doing a great disservice to those immigrants who have come here and stayed legally, not overstayed their visas, and who have gone through the legal process to become American citizens. You and the protesters are calling the individuals who have gone through the legal process, sometimes at great expense and cost to themselves, fools for obeying the law.

What does it say about the protesters when many times the people on whose behalf they are protesting shamelessly break the first law they encounter when entering the country? Why should those people respect and obey any of our other laws? The answer for everyone is to enter the United States legally, if you want to stay apply for citizenship, and assimilate into our melting pot culture. Immigrants will find that if they do that they will be most welcome and appreciated in our communities.

As for the people who are already here illegally, show the non-criminals the way to citizenship. Those who do not want to be citizens and be a part of legal America should leave, preferably voluntarily.  But those illegals who want to become legal should not do it at the expense of those who are already in the process of doing it legally. What about their rights? What about their respect?"