Nation of Immigrants Forgets Its Heritage

Recent letters regarding immigration have revealed a selfish, blatant disregard for human suffering. This issue is about human beings, not stray dogs. To condemn these immigrants, who risk their lives daily to give their children better ones, as irritating pests who contribute to the overpopulation of Southern California is a reflection of the self-absorbed culture in which we live.

Call me naive, left-wing, bleeding heart. But please don’t speak for me. I am vehemently opposed to one particular letter’s claim that “citizens strongly agree on the need to slash immigration to more traditional levels” (June 21). It’s easy to sit in lush Southern California paradises and enjoy the cheap labor provided by illegal immigrants, as long as you don’t have to acknowledge the existence of this desperate community come tax time. Have these letter writers forgotten the ideals on which this country was founded and which it still claims to uphold?

Karen Grumberg

Los Angeles

A June 21 letter writer remarked, “We don’t need more people, legal or illegal.” What a shame that neither the Native Americans nor the Mexicans (who owned nearly all of the Southwest) thought of establishing a border patrol to keep out the illegals--the pioneer-spirited who invaded their land. Those pioneers also endured great hardships, great sacrifice; innumerable of them lost their lives--much as the pioneers of today are doing. Would your letter writer have any idea as to why these two groups of people would want to do that?

Juanita G. Delgado

Santa Barbara

Re “Border Pact to Target Safety,” June 23: What am I missing in this picture? The border safety pact is designed to make it safer to do something illegal? Why don’t we take the guns from the local police to make it safer to rob people? That would make about as much sense. I thought the Constitution required the government to protect our borders. Did this change?

Robert Lauer

West Hills