Handling of Medvid Affair
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I have been reading your newspaper headlines with amusement.
If a Russian tries to enter the United States by jumping ship, he is called a “defector.” He is protected by the military, if necessary. A flotilla of boats surrounds the ship to prevent it from leaving. If the “defector” is returned by Immigration and Naturalization Service, the service is severely scolded. A U.S. Senate committee investigates and seeks to question the “defector.” If the Russian is successful in entering the United States illegally, as a “defector,” he becomes a national hero receives extensive publicity and is given a subsidy to meet all his needs.
If a Mexican tried to come to the United States illegally, he is branded as an illegal alien. He is tracked down and herded by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the service is commended for diligently doing its job. If he, by luck, wins $2 million, he is deported the next day.
If Mexico became a Communist country would we call their illegal aliens “defectors?”
FERNANDO JUAREZ
Los Angeles
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