How did an illegal become a citizen?

Letters to the editor

Sacramento Bee
Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

How did an illegal become a citizen?

Re "Triumph in shadow of tragedy" (Page A1, Oct. 27): Sam Stanton wrote a moving account of an immigrant from Honduras, Nelson Rivera, whose wife was one of the 10 victims in the 2002 random shooting spree in the District of Columbia area.

On Oct. 21 he became a U.S. citizen, and on Nov. 10 he is looking forward to witnessing the execution of the infamous D.C. sniper, to bring closure to a tragedy.

Great story, so far.

But then the story also relates how Rivera had tried three times to cross the border with Mexico.

The last time, immigration officials let Rivera enter the United States because they were more interested in catching the guy who tried to smuggle him in.

Aren't we talking illegal immigrant here?

What I (and I suspect many others) would like to know is, by what path did the illegal immigrant become a citizen of the United States?

Unless I missed something, that part was not told in the account.

In the ongoing immigration debate, this piece of information would be highly important to all immigrants of the legal and illegal kind, and all Americans.

– Rudy Hendriks, Orangevale

http://www.sacbee.com/326/story/2292937.html