Illegal immigration and amnesty as a ‘reform’

Re “Immigration’s endless summer,” editorial, Sept. 2

Your editorial recommends that we allow undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States while they apply for citizenship because otherwise they would stay anyway. But how do you prevent that from encouraging more illegal immigration if it is known that the U.S. grants amnesty again and again?

President Reagan encouraged massive illegal immigration by declaring amnesty in 1986, so is it wise to repeat that mistake and do injustice to the immigrants who wait for years to enter legally?

MANECK BHUJWALA

Huntington Beach

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“Comprehensive immigration reform” is simply amnesty for illegal aliens. Why don’t the supporters of this legislation call it what it actually is? Why must they hide their real intentions? Are they afraid that calling their legislation “amnesty” will cause their supporters in Congress to be defeated in November?

My mother told me that if you are afraid to tell others what you are doing, you should not be doing it in the first place. The advocates of “comprehensive immigration reform” should listen to my mother and call their legislation what it is, or stop promoting it.

TERRY L. WHITE

Long Beach

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Your editorial criticizes the “common political legerdemain of claiming that illegal immigration somehow led to 9/11, even though all the hijackers entered the country on legally issued visas.”

From a Times article dated Sept. 30, 2001: “And, once here, the 19 hijackers-to-be didn’t have to fret much about checkpoints and police stops, even after some of their visas expired and they became illegal immigrants.”

DOUGLAS BORSOM

Pasadena