What are illegal immigrants? They are people from other countries, who come to America without proper and up to date documention. The whites
who settled in Texas and California in the 1840”s and 1850”s were not illegal immigrants. When white settlers entered these regions, they
came under Mexican laws and authority and they understood that. If they wanted to settle land, they had to apply for it thru the Mexican
government.
By 1840 Texas was already an independent Republic, having won its independence from Mexico in 1836. California was won by the
United States during the Mexican war in 1847. A program similar to the “Bracero” program is a great idea. We should have verifiable work cards for all people who want to come to the USA to work. If our citizens are not “hungry enough” for stoop and menial
jobs.
One way illegal immigrants also come from is when the educational visas expire, the person just stays in the USA. Illegal
immigration has put a huge burden on our educational facilities at all levels and also on our health care system. We must also understand that
illegal immigrants do not just come from Mexico but many other countries.
We cannot loosen up on our work work permits for technical and engineering experts. We need to recruit from our population by
providing educational incentives and training to fill these voids, not from other countries. With the downsizing of many companies and the
large amount of unemployed, we have the numbers for this workforce. We have the hungry entrepreneurs already here in the USA, they are our own citizens.
L.M. Sweigert
Clearlake
