Opposed to Illegal Immigration?
May 1 | Posted by mrossol | American Thought, Liberal Press, ObamaIt Isn’t Racism to Be Opposed to Illegal Immigration – Letters to the Ediottr – WSJ.com.
Great responses to this article.
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In “Hispanic Values Are American Values” (op-ed, April 22), National Council of La Raza CEO Janet Murguia says that the previous concerns by those already here about waves of immigrants from Italy, Ireland and Eastern Europe were unfounded, and therefore the current concerns about the Hispanic population are similar. This is not the case. Those previous “waves of immigrants” came here legally—that is, they waited their turn. Entering this country without a valid visa (and staying and raising a family here) does not entitle one to the benefits of citizenship, employment or otherwise taking up the space allotted to those who have waited in line to enjoy the largess offered by this country. That is the issue, not Hispanic “values.”
Maria C. Museler
Annapolis, Md.
Ms. Murguia’s organization advocates for voting rights for illegal aliens affirmative action and set-asides in hiring, promotions and college admissions, and it opposed the “Secure Fence Act of 2006,” just to name a few policy positions.
I am so tired of being told that any legitimate concerns I may have about organizations that actively work to undermine the Constitution and subvert existing immigration law makes me a racist.
Laurie Dolge
Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Ms. Murguia starts with the cliche that all immigration into the U.S. has historically caused unfounded anxiety, and that it will be the same with Hispanics. She overlooks one important difference: Previous waves of immigrants learned English, and their children adopted the English language in schools and socially. I am a first-generation American who experienced the magic of speaking English at home.
Leon Garoyan
Davis, Calif.
Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey makes the point in “America and the Meaning of Courage” (op-ed, June 5, 2010) that the U.S. is the first and one of the world’s few nations whose core definition is built around law, not blood or religion or an historic claim to territory. This founding basis on law has enabled our nation to attract the world’s best people, who come in search of opportunities lacking in their native lands. They become Americans.
Janet Murguia would have done well to promote her views within that context. Instead, she ignores the challenge of Hispanic assimilation into our society. Why not point out the large number of Hispanic businesses which have established permanent stature in our economy? She talks about demographic change, but she fails to note that in a polycultural nation immigrants have had to adapt to the established baseline in order to succeed.
Peter Caloger
Almont, Colo.
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