Disgusted by the border fence

Re “Border fence nearly doubles,” Sept. 28

I find myself disgusted by the story on the border projects implemented by the Bush administration. I am particularly appalled by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff’s welding of the fence during his trip to Arizona. This is not some sort of groundbreaking for a local library. Rather, the 70-mile extension of the border fence between Mexico and the United States is proof positive of the failures of the administration to create long-term solutions to what many consider the immigration problem. Failure includes a lack of developmental programs in Latin America that would encourage people to remain in their homelands, failure to encourage illegal immigrants to pursue legal status and failure to pursue diplomatic talks with Latin American officials that could help draft more suitable solutions to dissuade illegal immigration. The 70-mile extension of the border wall is not an example of progress. It is an example of the continued failure by United States’ immigration policymakers.

Sarah Griffith

Goleta, Calif.