Thread: Letter writers weigh in on deportation of illegal immigrants

Letter writers weigh in on deportation of illegal immigrants



East Bay Times letters for Aug. 23

Newspaper again offers
editorial opinion as news

The East Bay Times is once again couching their reporting in terms that are sympathetic to the liberal left and subtly supporting lawless activities.

An Aug. 6 article reported on the deportation of two illegal immigrants. It included a photo of weeping relatives of one of the illegals and began with responses to the deportation from activists and labor union representation.

A key statement in the news reporting was not a quote but a note by the reporter: Deportation action by ICE is currently supposed to focus on illegal felons, “not people whose only offense was entering the country illegally.” Apparently, the reporter doesn’t understand that entering our country illegally is illegal under federal law.

If the perpetrator committed the offense 10 years ago and has set up a nice cozy American household is irrelevant; he violated our laws and should be dealt with appropriately under the law.

The press has been soft-pedaling illegal immigrants as “undocumented” for so long, reporters can’t differentiate between what is legal (or acceptable to the left) and what is actually illegal.

Just report the facts and not editorialize in subtle way; just accurate, impartial reporting of the news.

Darryl L. West
Livermore

Immigrants had no record
because they ignored court

A recent news story said that ICE caught two illegal immigrants who were trying to get a job at Travis Air Force Base and deported one of them. The article stated that neither had a criminal record. They have been working in this country for a decade using phony SS cards. That means they either stole someone else’s number or they didn’t pay taxes for 10 years. They were originally caught at the border and were told by a judge to report back to court. They thumbed their noses at the judge and never reported to court.

Do we want illegal immigrants who ignore a judge’s order and use phony SS numbers working at our military installations? Bernie Madoff could say he was a hard-working family man with no criminal record. Both Madoff and these two guys had no criminal record until they go to court. We should bring the one that was deported back and try him for his crimes and then his lawyer will not be saying he has no criminal record.

John Briggs
Lafayette


Should give back taxes
paid by the immigrants

Regarding the couple from Mexico who are being deported:

If this couple had been upstanding, productive, taxpaying folks, I think they should not be deported. And if those kind of folks are going to be deported, the government should give back all the tax money they have paid. After all, if they were never documented, the government is partly at fault for allowing this to happen.

Gae Mora
Concord

A sad situation, but
not front-page news

The front-page photo and deportation story on Aug. 11 was heartwarming and surely meant to draw sympathy for a family of illegal immigrants due to be deported.

After reading the entire article, I could not help but notice there was no mention of how this couple were able to get across the U.S.-Mexico border in the first place. Did they swim?

Did smugglers bring them in by truck? Did they come through a drug-smuggling tunnel? Surely, they knew what they were doing was not legal. They seem to be decent people, so why did they not come here legally the first time? It would have saved them all this grief.

It is very difficult to feel sorry for this couple and their family. It truly is a sad situation but feel sorry for them? No. Is this front-page news? No.

Mary Silva
El Sobrante

http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/08/...al-immigrants/

Should give back taxes
paid by the immigrants

Regarding the couple from Mexico who are being deported:

If this couple had been upstanding, productive, taxpaying folks, I think they should not be deported. And if those kind of folks are going to be deported, the government should give back all the tax money they have paid. After all, if they were never documented, the government is partly at fault for allowing this to happen.

Gae Mora
Concord

They didn't "pay taxes". They filed income tax returns to get tax credit welfare. Wake Up.

Too stinking bad. If they did pay taxes...they paid fraudulently by being in the country illegally. Did they get refunds?

Did they use Local and State services that those taxes pay for? Roads, bridges, hospitals, water, sewer, electric, it pays for our Police, Fire Fighters and city services...etc.

Give them NOTHING but deportation out of here.

You pay taxes to operate this country so you can live, work, get educated and all the many benefits of living here. Why should you get the taxes refunded - if you paid any in the first place? You lived here, you enjoyed the benefits of it - you did it illegally - and we are supposed to refund any taxes you MIGHT have paid?

I just don't understand the thinking sometimes -------