http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs. ... 90468/1029

Mexican-style kidnapping hits home
3/9/07

I am so sorry that farmworkers at Falkner Farms fear "negative attitudes" about immigrants, after one of their own aliens became a suspect in the kidnapping of a 13-year-old boy at gunpoint Feb. 23. Oh, wait. I guess we are supposed to call them "migrants" or "Mexican nationals," even though the definition of alien indicates a person of another family, race or nation.

And the fact that people such as Vicente Ignacio Beltran-Moreno cross our border without first signing the guest book makes them here illegally. Hence, the term that fits him: "illegal alien."

Most Americans have no problem with legal immigration. It is illegal immigration that concerns us. It should not be considered unreasonable to have a secure border. Those who come here should have to prove who they are, why they are coming here, that they don't have a communicable disease and that they don't have a criminal background. This is simply common sense.

Maybe this is causing the negative attitude toward illegals. Maybe it is because they demand that we print documents in their native language. Maybe it is because they protest our laws while waving the Mexican flag. Maybe Americans are tired of paying for their medical care or education.

And now illegal aliens may be bringing their "express abductions" culture to this country. Kidnapping for ransom is nearly nonexistent in America. In Tijuana, Mexico, there were 100 reported incidents of it last year. Express abductions involve a person who is held for a couple of hours and forced to hand over his or her bank debit card and pin number.

We need to secure our borders with a 2,000-mile fence (triple-layered), and we need to do it now!

Philip Squitieri