Secure U.S. border and rethink immigration laws

Hispanic illegal immigrants broke our law. American enablers did, too. Who are they? Chambers of Commerce; employers who benefit from cheap labor, and cheat on employer Social Security and unemployment contributions; and, politicians who try maintain a sieve-like border to gain another voting bloc. All share guilt! Mostly, the president and Congress.

Politicians talk border security; propose various forms of deportation; push issuance of drivers licenses; agitate to give illegals a right to vote; allow sanctuary cities, etc. A bag of contradictions. End posturing for political gain! Apply common sense.

Border security is absolutely critical. However, proposed legalization paths for Hispanics, who are here already, are questionable. Why fine and collect back taxes from those who only broke our law to find work? How could they pay? Most earn peanuts, and some surrendered life savings to come. It would keep them shadowed. Stern penalties on American enablers are more logical.

Show schoolchildren an honest day's work. Take them where Mexicans are: laying pavers and building brick houses, painting houses, planting and harvesting, replacing roofs, doing lawn care, digging trenches, trimming trees, washing cars, performing domestic work, and on and on. These are people students should emulate in every future work endeavor.

Maybe they've earned a place here, just as our original, hard-working immigrants. Amnesty to citizenship, of course not!

But seal the southern boarder immediately; deport criminals, who are in or out of prisons, gang members, and drug distributors.

Then totally rethink the full package of immigration laws. It's as lousy and confusing as the tax code and state primaries.

Jerry Donatucci

Bradenton

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Secure U.S. border and rethink immigration laws ."