I have worked in the meat packing industry for more than 23 years, with three different companies in three states. During that time I have had the pleasure of working with thousands of people of many different races, ethnicities and cultures and of learning the Spanish language.

Of the people I have known, most were immigrants, both legal and illegal, the majority of them of Hispanic ethnicity. One of them is now my wife, whom I love dearly. She came here legally through the system, as it is, before I knew her. I applaud her and the many immigrants who struggle through the system legally to become permanent residents and citizens as it is a very tiresome, lengthy and weary process, but very much worth it, according to her.

I do not write this letter to tell her personal story but to speak of immigration since the subject has arisen as of late in the presidential race. Of the thousands of immigrants whom I have known, both legal and illegal, each and every one of them have known the risk of coming to this country illegally and that deportation was a possible consequence of that risk.

I have read or heard many news stories of the “tragic break-up of families” due to the deportation of one or more of the parents. While it is a tragedy for the children, it is also the known consequence of the illegal immigrant who knowingly took the risk of coming here illegally and either bringing his/her family with them or starting a family once they were here. The onus here lies directly on the illegal immigrant, not on our government’s policies or ICE or the citizens of this country. They broke the law knowing full well the potential consequences of their actions while risking their family’s well-being in the process. They cannot claim ignorance or victimization as this is caused by their own actions.

One of the other issues that come up is amnesty. For some, anything less than complete deportation of all illegals is amnesty. For others, if we don’t automatically make them citizens immediately, then we are just bad people. Both are unrealistic and unreasonable without any chance of success.

Complete deportation of 14-16 million illegals is impossible. This does not, however, mean we should stop the deportation process.  It is necessary to have repercussions for breaking the law.  On the other hand, giving them all automatic citizenship is idiocy.

Citizenship in this country is not something to be given away freely but is something that should be earned. At the same time, revoking the citizenship of children who are natural born citizens in this country because their parents are illegal is also a slippery slope on which we should not tread. One of the questions I would ask to people who want complete and total amnesty is this: How do you justify to the immigrants who have come here through a legal, meaningful process to become permanent residents and citizens of this country and broken no laws, that you are going to give a free ride to the people who have knowingly broken our laws and shunned our legal process?

It cannot be justified.

There must be some form of recompense whether monetarily or judicially for breaking the law and they must be willing to go through the process legally.

Can we improve the process and make it more efficient to speed up the application process? Yes.

Can we just bypass it or get rid of it? No. But I think before anything can happen, we must stop the influx of illegal immigrants by shutting down the many access points on the border. Whether that is through physical (fence) or electronic means or even more manpower on the border, we must stem the tide of illegal entry.  There should be access only through legal entry points with the proper documentation.

The final issue to discuss is our neighbors. I’m not talking about Mexico or Canada. I’m speaking of the people down the street, across the alley and even next door. Too many times I have heard from people who I thought were friends speaking about “those damned Mexicans” or saying “oh, they’re all illegal.”

They’re not my friends any longer. It’s pretty sad to hear that in this day and age. Statements such as these are hurtful, bigoted and untrue. I believe, as a Christian, that we should love and care for our neighbors no matter the color of their skin or the language they speak or the food they eat.

You cannot know the character or kindness of someone nor especially their immigration status just by looking at them and making a judgment on them. Until you know otherwise, our neighbors should be treated with respect and Christian love.



Paul C. Lenz lives in St. James.