Illegal Immigration’s Costs to Society

The photo of angry demonstrators seeking (demanding) rights for illegal immigrants is next to “Major Cuts in County Health Care Foreseen” (May 2), on the L.A. County health-care system having to slash $688 million over three years. L.A. County’s health department acknowledges that up to 3 million uninsured people already rely on free county care, and Kathryn Barger, the chief of staff for Supervisor Mike Antonovich, stated, regarding the budget cut, that “we have to make sure it’s not compromising the quality . . . of care.”

Wouldn’t one way to cut costs without cutting care be to treat fewer patients? If (when) these illegal aliens get their “rights,” who is going to pay for their health care? If they contribute “so much to the economy,” as immigrant activists claim, certainly their employers will pay for their health care or they will purchase it themselves, right?

Bruce Konschuh

Fullerton

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Why should tax dollars be appropriated for illegal rights? This is a major concern overlooked by labor leaders, community activists and thousands of people. When immigrants are documented legally, as required by the law, rights are included.

Frances Williams

Los Angeles

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Not surprisingly, but certainly perplexing, The Times decided to devote prominent space in the newspaper on protests over anti-immigrant French presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in Paris (“1 Million Marchers Take to Streets of France to Protest Against Le Pen,” May 2) yet barely covered a similar protest against immigrant bashing here in Los Angeles that actually marched right by The Times’ building on Spring Street.

Is it because the editors would rather speak to the concerns and issues across the Atlantic rather than a story about the clamor for justice happening just outside its door? Wake up and realize that your readership should know about 10,000 people marching for anything other than another Lakers victory parade and that in Los Angeles, home to the majority of immigrants in the nation, this march merited more in-depth coverage.

Angelica Salas

Executive Director, Coalition

for Humane Immigrant

Rights, Los Angeles

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Re “Suspect Named in Slaying of Sheriff’s Deputy” and “Kidnap Suspect Fled to Mexico, Authorities Say,” May 2: So The Times reports on just one day that a cop killer and a kidnapper have both escaped to Mexico. How many times a year does this happen? We know that our political leadership is much too busy pandering to the Latino vote to make an issue of this travesty.

Of course, I understand that Gov. Gray Davis may not have the time to address the matter of illegals slinking back across the border to avoid justice because he is too busy trying to get them a California driver’s license so they can legally drive to jobs that it is illegal for them to have. But at least now, when they race back home after committing crimes in California, they can do so as safe, licensed drivers.

Jeff Aronson

Oak Park