Legal vs. illegal immigration.
Contrary to the dominant narrative, there is a difference. In 1977, my wife immigrated to the U.S. She was a German citizen. All this occurred before she got a visa. She attended two separate interviews, was required to have two separate physicals, one German and one American.
At her own expense, documents were translated to English. Her savings account was scrutinized, and she was required to sign a declaration that she would not become a financial burden to the U.S. subject to deportation. Then she provided a certified police background check, which verified she had no criminal record. Once here, she was required to register every Jan. 3 at the local post office or face deportation.
The current system has none of these requirements.
Compassion is admirable, but crossing the border without permission is a crime, as are bogus asylum claims. Joe Biden rescinded 94 Donald Trump-era orders and vets no one.
On-hundred-seventy-one undocumented immigrants were arrested in a nationwide raid in February 2024 for sexual exploitation of children, five in Washington. If these people weren’t here, these crimes wouldn’t have been done to children here in Washington state.
Posted directly to the Seattle Immigration and Customs Enforcement website on Feb. 2, 2024:
• A 53-year-old citizen of El Salvador in Tacoma, Washington, convicted of felony child molestation in the first degree, child molestation in the second degree, and rape of a child in the third degree.
• A 42-year-old citizen of Mexico in Moses Lake, Washington, convicted of dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
• A 39-year-old citizen of Mexico in Federal Way, Washington, convicted of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
• A 69-year-old citizen of Mexico in Yakima, Washington, convicted of dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
• A 58-year-old citizen of Mexico in Yakima, Washington, convicted of child molestation in the first degree, child molestation in the second degree, and rape of a child in the third degree.
These are previous convictions all are pending murder or sexual assault against children again. In fiscal 2023, the Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations arrested 73,822 migrants with criminal charges, including sexual assault, homicide and kidnapping. In congressional testimony, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged losing track of 85,000 children and then reported they were unable to provide court orders to additional 291,000 because they have no addresses.
Legitimate asylees are different. In May 2019, Mexico and the United States negotiated an agreement expanding enforcement along Mexico’s southern border. The deal left open the possibility of developing a bilateral asylum plan that would mirror other “country of first-entry” asylum resettlement agreements like the U.S.-Canada Safe Third Agreement and the European Union’s (EU) Dublin III Regulation, which requires asylum seekers to apply for protection in the first country they enter that has signed the agreement. Under the current system, asylum seekers can choose their preferred destination, which the first-entry rule would deny.
There is a difference between legal immigration, asylum seekers and illegal immigration. Any idea why legal immigrants have a problem?
Ray Anderson
Ethel
