Securing our borders should be a high priority for the U.S.
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
There is much debate about what is a fair and appropriate policy for immigration. Our friends on the left prefer an open policy where relatives of immigrants are welcomed, specific diversity targets are used, little consideration is given to how the immigrants directly benefit our country and generally prefer more versus fewer immigrants.
An article from Sept. 27, 2017 in the Washington Examiner told us some hard truths. It said illegal immigrants cost U.S. taxpayers $135 billion per year in medical, education and law enforcement costs. Further, they estimate this same group pays a total of $19 billion in total taxes which means the next cost to U.S. taxpayers is an incredible $116 billion annually which works out to $6,940 for every single American, young and old.
I don’t have the space to discuss crime statistics in depth, but a Jan. 26, 2018 article in the Washington Times indicates the crime rate among illegal immigrants in Arizona is more than double that of other residents and is more serious on average.
On this complex topic, some things seem clear. First, we need to give a high priority to securing our borders and significantly vetting every person asking to come here. Our children, grandchildren and loved ones are too precious to risk. Second, we need to emphasize the admission of people who will work, pay taxes add economic value and who will assimilate into our diverse and uniquely American culture.
Eric Chester
Medina
There is much debate about what is a fair and appropriate policy for immigration. Our friends on the left prefer an open policy where relatives of immigrants are welcomed, specific diversity targets are used, little consideration is given to how the immigrants directly benefit our country and generally prefer more versus fewer immigrants.
An article from Sept. 27, 2017 in the Washington Examiner told us some hard truths. It said illegal immigrants cost U.S. taxpayers $135 billion per year in medical, education and law enforcement costs. Further, they estimate this same group pays a total of $19 billion in total taxes which means the next cost to U.S. taxpayers is an incredible $116 billion annually which works out to $6,940 for every single American, young and old.
I don’t have the space to discuss crime statistics in depth, but a Jan. 26, 2018 article in the Washington Times indicates the crime rate among illegal immigrants in Arizona is more than double that of other residents and is more serious on average.
On this complex topic, some things seem clear. First, we need to give a high priority to securing our borders and significantly vetting every person asking to come here. Our children, grandchildren and loved ones are too precious to risk. Second, we need to emphasize the admission of people who will work, pay taxes add economic value and who will assimilate into our diverse and uniquely American culture.
Eric Chester
Medina
