Letter to Editor on Immigration Bill

Your editorial (6/18/07) presented good points but this immigration legislation troubles me.

I am not anti-immigrant. My wife immigrated legally after health and background checks, learned English and passed the citizenship test. She is fully assimilated.

What troubles me, however, is a Congress presuming to tackle anything “comprehensive.” Fixing immigration requires a well thought-out, individual solution for each factor, not a mish-mash of political deals.

Border security is not just to stem the unregulated flow of immigrants but, even more importantly, to guard against imported diseases, crime and terrorism. How does Congress propose to completely seal the border?

Does Congress realize that a guest-worker program with tamper-proof identification and job matching could only work if the applicants have access to employment offices, staffed by US officials and preferably in their home country to enable mandatory health and background checks?

How will Congress insure that workers do not overstay their permits?

Carl E. Schlaepfer
cschlaepfer@austin.rr.com