Ventura/East County CA: Letters to Editor

Your letters: East county
April 4, 2007

Out of the shadows

There has been so much talk and confusion about illegal immigrants and why we can't live without them that I thought I'd do a video project depicting bona fide American citizens doing all those jobs that "Americans won't do."

The first place I stopped was a familiar fast-food establishment in Westlake Village. I asked the fellow who took my order if he would participate. My next question was: "You're an American citizen, aren't you?"

He said, "No."

Gulp.

You see, since he wasn't working in the shadows but had taken my order and was taking my money, I mistakenly figured this was a job any American would do! I went on: "But you plan to become an American citizen, don't you?" Without any hesitation whatsoever, he answered, "No."

It doesn't matter whether you are Democrat or Republican or a whatever. If you are a citizen of this country, you are an American first. Our laws must mean something to us. That fellow has a job that my kid or your kid — somebody's mom or dad trying to make ends meet — should be doing. It's high time we call the Border Patrol to report illegal immigrants and not just ignore them. Also, we should report their employers to the appropriate government agency. We may even have to do a few of our own chores.

To me, there is no such thing as a job an American won't do. Americans built this country by doing every job — especially the job of making it law-abiding. If "illegal immigrants" care enough about America and its laws to become citizens, they have every right to help us build this country, too. After my above encounter, I feel that if they don't care enough about our laws, they most certainly do not belong here.

— Michael Preddy,
Westlake Village

No amnesty

Re: your Feb. 28 article, "Defusing ‘inflammatory issues'":

There will never be a resolution to the illegal immigration problem as long as amnesty continues to be granted and accommodation provided.

No one bothered to enforce the stricter laws as promised in 1986, and there is no reason to believe that our spineless elected officials will bother to enforce any existing or new immigration laws now.

The "economies of American cities humming along" is droned out by the sound of failing schools, increased crime and collapsing social service systems.

These new businesses David Rodriguez, national vice president of the Far West region of the League of United Latin American Citizens, is so proud of are primarily supporting the very illegal immigration population that marches in our streets demanding their "rights" to continue to flaunt their illegality.

Citizenship simply to be worth more than cheap labor!

— Judy McLaughlin,
Simi Valley

No cuts, immigrants

Cutting in line — also known as line-jumping, queue-jumping, butting, budging, ditching or pushing — is the act of entering a line or queue at any position other than the end.

It has happened to all of us. It provokes rage and even violence.

Immigration, they say, has been good for America. It has added needed fuel to our economic engine. When we accept immigrants who come here to become part of our magnificent venture into freedom and to contribute to it, all Americans benefit from it. It's when we allow the government to close its eyes to illegal immigrants that it becomes not only burdensome, but potentially disastrous for our country.

When illegals come here still owing their allegiance to their homeland — some to take advantage of our generosity, some to destroy our way of life — then we must put a stop to it.

The worst part for those all over the world who have been waiting for years for legal immigration is that the illegal immigrants are "bumping the line."

As legal immigrants or descendants of legal immigrants — nearly all of us — we must raise our voices and proclaim that it is not immigration that is the problem. It is "hole-in-the-gate" immigration that deprives our government of the vital obligation it has to screen the new arrivals.

Immigrants must wait their turn and go through the process and not be permitted to go to the front of the line. In that way we can be protected against our medical, police and social systems being overwhelmed, and we can weed out those who would hurt our country or become a burden to it.

— Bernard Lehrer,
Ventura

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