Illegal immigrants drain U.S. economy of jobs

Illegal immigrants drainU.S. economy of jobs
EDITOR:
Cheap labor by illegal immigrants is being exploited throughout our land, from the farmer harvesting his crops to the major chicken producer and the retail giants that apply pressure all along the chain of production to get products at lower and lower prices. "Illegal immigrants are willing to do jobs that Americans will not do & quot; is the line that we are being told. In truth, they are modern day slave labor being taken advantage of at the expense of American jobs, wages and workers rights. This must stop.
Our great nation was built on the backs of immigrants. Many of us are direct descendants of immigrants and are proud of our heritage. When our ancestors came to the United States, they went through a process -- most at Ellis Island -- and became legal citizens who contributed to society and embraced this nation and all it stood for.
Illegal immigrants are just that -- illegal. They are here unlawfully, they crossed the border illegally and they must be dealt with. Residents who own land on or near the border with Mexico have in some cases become prisoners in their own homes as illegals cross the border right through their land. Tax-paying home-grown American workers have lost jobs, are having their wages suppressed, and are losing work place right's to illegals who in many cases pay no taxes, contribute little good to society and often send their wages back to their homeland. In addition, the added pressure on our health care, education, and prison systems, which are forced to deal with illegals and treat them as though they are tax-paying Americans, is immense. We must act now.
First, tighten our borders, absolutely all of our borders and control who enters our country. This is essential and should have happened following the events of 9/11. Second, make people go through the process of becoming an American citizen before entering the country so that we know what type of person is coming. Third, crack down on these employers who hire cheap illegal labor and send them the message that slave labor will not be tolerated in America. And finally, begin the process of dealing with the estimated 12 million illegal aliens who are presently in our country. They all have broken the law and must not be given outright amnesty. It will be a long process but they must be dealt with. Many should be deported immediately with no opportunity to return (gang members, law breakers). Some should be allowed to stay so long as they become productive American citizens.
America is the greatest country in the world, and our freedoms are essential to maintaining that status. But in the day and age in which we live, we can't afford to leave our borders wide open. Asking that people follow a process to become legal citizens is in no way an infringement on their freedom. In fact, the price of our freedom should be becoming a legal, productive American citizen -- not an illegal modern day slave.
GARY RUSSELL
Austintown
It was a story of unity
EDITOR:
The writer of Friday's letter to the editor ("Keep religion out of it"), should realize that The Vindicator is a newspaper, bound to nothing more than reporting the news, regardless of whether it is religious in nature.
The stories coming out of the Middle East all have their roots in religion; should those be ignored as well? To take issue with the fact that a photograph was published showing religious unity rather than divisiveness requires a special kind of ignorance. The story was a national one, which the letter writer would have understood, had he bothered to read the caption.
There are publications that eschew religious stories of any kind. I'm sure an Internet search of the word communism would provide them.
TRICIA BARNES
New Waterford