Please, someone explain why Maria "Chata" Leon has been allowed to live in this country illegally for 23 years, having 13 children and committing crime after crime. Why has this woman never been deported? Why is she still on the streets of Los Angeles?

There is absolutely no excuse for this.

Sandra Stubban

Stanton



While most illegal immigrants entering the United States are honest people, it is the job of our governmental agencies to protect Americans from those who are not. The only way to do this is to secure our borders, penalize those hiring the undocumented, immediately deport those found guilty of crimes and, most important, have a Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of the 14th Amendment to determine who qualifies to become an American citizen.

This is not an anti-immigrant solution; it's a pro-law, pro-American solution. Illegal is just that.

Cheryl Smith

Gardena



L.A.'s Drew Street -- crime fortress, drug dealers operating with near impunity, illegal immigrant haven, illegal immigrant mother of 13 "deeply involved in the drug trade" with a "lengthy arrest record" and three convictions but no prison time -- need I go on? And how many other Drew Streets are there throughout California? Sort of makes one wonder what our police and immigration authorities are doing as these lesions are allowed to fester and spread. It has certainly reached the point for us to demand accountability and action. Otherwise, it's only going to get much worse.

Ron Romanosky

Tustin

Economic refugees

Re "Divided by death and the border," Column One, April 2

Thank you for the heartbreaking story about the death of Alberta Trujillo and her newborn baby. My heart goes out to her fiance, Margarito Garcia, and her entire family, both here and in Mexico. I have a dear friend, an illegal immigrant, who works harder and longer than many Americans. The vast majority of people who come here from Mexico and Latin America are not criminals. They only wish to find work that is not available in their home countries. They should be thought of as economic refugees. If the situation were reversed and it were Americans fleeing hopeless poverty, I would hope that someone in another country would show us a little kindness and compassion.

Amy Smith

Irvine



I appreciated the article on the traumas many undocumented workers face when dealing with the death of a loved one. This article helped put a human face on a population that is too often only considered by many to be just a problem for the United States.

Frank Galvan

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