Mass immigrant deportation is anti-life, could decimate local ag industry

Editor:

We wholeheartedly agree with deporting felon and violent immigrants.

But, we have always needed immigrant workers from the canals, to the railroads, to mining, to farming, canning factories, service industries and even medical care. So please don’t deport immigrant farm workers. Our local rural economy and farm industry has depended upon and does depend upon immigrants, including “undocumented” (no green card) for 40 years.

Massive deportation will be very expensive. Let’s reduce our national debt and/or invest in our infrastructure. Give Americans good jobs.

Justice: Since the 1986 obviously impractical law (made it illegal to hire undocumented workers), which we rarely enforced until about 2005, we allowed about 5.5 million mainly Mexicans and another 6 million immigrants to outstay their Visas and work for our society, especially in the food industry.

They came in families or to families often, have also developed families and had millions of children, who are American citizens. Many, through no fault of their own, have not even been able to get a green card. We know one highly successful Mexican, who has spent $35,000 in legal fees, trying unsuccessfully to get a green card. He’s hiding from no one, known to the immigration courts and establishing three businesses. One won the Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award.

To deport them now, 2/3rds of whom have been here over 10 years, many as long as 30, most of whom are hard, reliable and valued workers, would be not only impractical but unjust to them and farmers.

Congress has had three bi-partisan bills, that would have helped correct the 1986 law, but failed to pass. Former GOP House Speaker John Boehner (2013?) called some of his fellow Republicans “blockheads” and resigned in frustration. It failed to pass the House, although passing the Senate with approximately 2/3rds majority. That’s what we need to do. Pass one of those 3 proposals or something similar.

Life: To deprive children of a parent(s) and bread-winner is cruel and anti-life. To expel whole families, including American citizens, to unknown and most likely difficult situations in their native lands, is likely life-threatening and certainly unjust. If we care about children in our society, then we have to care about the millions of children of immigrants, including their nutrition, health care and education, all life issues.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert E. Golden

Kent