Illegals — They have a lot of gall!

I am proud to be an American. America is the land of my birth. My father was the son of an immigrant. My mother's anscestors arrived much earlier — before the Revolution. Without immigration I would not be here. I am not opposed to immigration or to immigrants. I am opposed to unlawful or illegal immigration.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer recently ran an article reporting on demonstrations for illegal immigrants. Typical of their thinking is this comment by immigrant and American citizen Melissa Woo: "Us [sic] immigrants aren't pieces of trash, we're human beings," she said. "To be treated as less than human is a travesty." If you are an American citizen than why are you protesting? Deportation of illegal immigrants is not a travesty — it is an imperative, a necessity.

Illegal immigrants are a drain on our economy. By coming into our country illegally they have already proven themselves unworthy of American citizenship. If they think so little of our laws when they cross the border, what makes you think they will become responsible law-abiding citizens afterwards?

As I was writing this I received an email addressing this subject. It was filled with half-truths and distorted facts. Wanting to verify the data it contained I visited Snopes.com and did a search on illegal immigration, resulting in 21 hits. Examining these reveals illegal immigration to be a highly-charged issue. Unfortunately, many of those opposed to illegal immigration are not opposed to twisting the truth.

A few years back I worked the night shift at an industrial bakery in Nevada. I was welcomed to the "VFW." When I showed my ignorance, I was told: "You are one of the Very Few Whites." And so I was. There were 8 Caucasians to over 300 Hispanics, mostly Mexican. Many spoke no English and some were illiterate. An INS raid also showed that many were illegals.

I do not blame any of my Hispanic co-workers for wanting to be here. We are the land of opportunity. I was slightly amused when told by a young man from Jalisco, "We spend all our lives of dreaming about coming to the United States — and then, after we are here we dream of the day we can go home." At any rate, I found all of them to be industrious and anxious to please. Rather than tell them, "You're in America — speak English," I learned to communicate with them in their language. I did encourage them to learn English and assisted those that were willing to learn with the nuances of our difficult speech.

The bottom line, though, is that illegal immigration is illegal. Just because a robber breaks into my home and manages to hide out for five, ten, or even twenty years does not give him the right to live with me. Hiding out for a long time does not make him moral or ethical. The same is true for illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants have no say, or shouldn't have.

America welcomes all who come through the front door with the proper invitation. Those that break and enter should be treated as the criminals they are.