Del Olmo on Immigration

Re “Border Politics: Checkmate?” by Frank del Olmo, Commentary, Jan. 22:

Let me get this straight. The Republicans who have taken a stand against our porous borders are merely, in that now-shopworn phrase, “immigrant bashing” and are guilty of employing a “nasty enthusiasm” which encourages “hysteria” against illegal immigrants. And now we are informed that the steadily increasing number of Democratic leaders, including the president of the United States (not to mention both of California’s U.S. senators), who also are beginning to respond to the issue of illegal immigration are, as portrayed by Del Olmo, motivated primarily by “blatantly expedient” vote-chasing.

Yet in the same article he suggests that there are votes to be had in immigrant communities by politicians if they would only be willing to return to the days when it was considered politically chic to pretend that no border problem exists. Wake up, Mr. Del Olmo. The public has had its fill of open-border ideologues telling us not to worry about it. We are indeed very worried. And President Clinton, unlike his predecessors, has had the forthrightness to at least face and attempt to deal with the stark reality of this most vexing and controversial of issues.

WILLIAM M. COVELY

Long Beach