debatesaround the EB-5 immigrant investor program have been heated (“Green cards shouldn’t be for sale,’’ Renée Loth, Opinion, May 15), and EB-5 immigrant investors are frequently labeled as wealthy people buying citizenship. This stereotype is unfair.

I know at least 20 Chinese EB-5 investors, all of whom are hard-working individuals who have contributed remarkably to the community. Thousands of EB-5 immigrants are US college graduates from prestigious universities. They speak fluent English, hold high-skilled positions, and work extremely hard. Many EB-5 investors have established strong connections with the United States for a long time. These immigrants bring in a vast array of valuable talents, and are not stereotypical random rich people.

Just like any other category of immigrants, EB-5 investors are law-abiding people who want to stay in the United States legally. They must wait in line as well. They cannot bypass the immigration laws or receive special privileges.

The EB-5 program desperately needs reform, but the fraud and abuse that are prevalent are byproducts of a flawed system, not of the individuals within it. If the EB-5 program were terminated, the lives and futures of tens of thousands of innocent immigrants would be jeopardized.

While a level of frustration directed toward certain aspects of the program can be understood, shutting down the program entirely would only discredit the US government on an international scale, as well as bring fear to legal immigrants who have worked relentlessly to pursue the American dream.

Wilson Ye

Los Angeles