As a proud nation of immigrants, we Americans have a long tradition of welcoming newcomers.
We understand that people come seeking freedom, opportunity, and a chance to make a better life for themselves and their families, aspirations that we all share.
Immigrants come here to work, and we need their labor. It plays a crucial role in many segments of our economy, including agriculture, construction, healthcare, and hospitality.
Immigrants take on difficult jobs that most Americans don’t want, and with our country’s low birthrate and growing population of retirees, their contribution will increasingly be needed.
The fact that many want to come here is a tribute to our land of opportunity and our tradition of welcoming, but it also presents the challenge of creating an orderly process for admission.
Last revised comprehensively in 1986 under President Reagan, our immigration policies need updating.
By appointing more immigration officers and judges, for example, we could clear the backlog of immigration cases, quickly deporting those who don’t qualify while getting work permits to those who do qualify so they can begin contributing to our society.
Mr. Trump and his MAGA followers are trying to sow fear and division among us for political advantage using lies and hateful rhetoric directed against immigrants.
Although immigrants commit fewer crimes on average than native-born Americans, Mr. Trump falsely claims that they are making us unsafe, including the preposterous charge that they are eating our pets. We must firmly reject these attempts to divide us.
Under presidents Bush, Obama, and Biden bipartisan immigration bills were passed in the Senate, only to be rejected by congressional Republicans.
Just this year, Mr. Trump convinced House Republicans to not even consider tough new measures to increase our border security because he wanted to use this issue in the election.
At present only Democrats such as Kamala Harris and Sherrod Brown are taking a common-sense approach to immigration.
By electing them we can take an important step towards sensible immigration policies that secure our borders and strengthen our economy, providing a better future for us all.
Don Monson
Mount Vernon