Mexicans Who Stay and Fight

After reading “When the Trek North Becomes a Slow March Toward Death” (June 10), I have reached the conclusion that Mexicans who die while trying to escape their homeland are not heroes as President Vicente Fox says. Instead, perhaps they are cowards for not loving their country enough to stay and fight for reforms to change Mexico. While I am indeed sympathetic to their plight, it wasn’t that long ago that the 13 colonies were faced with similar oppression and corruption from the English who ruled over them. They had a choice: fight or flee. Thank goodness most of our forefathers stayed to fight for something they believed in. I truly respect the Mexicans who love their country enough to stay and help Fox change their nation for the better, so that these needless deaths do not ever have to occur again.

Will Ray

Burbank

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Keep the borders closed. Immigration depletes resources and lowers wages, making it difficult for American citizens to survive. The only happy people are the other illegal immigrants, who are here defiantly breaking the laws, and the chief executives of companies getting richer because of the influx of cheap labor. Let’s take care of the problems we already have and not exacerbate the already poor quality of education, the lack of affordable housing and the unbearable traffic congestion by continuing to overpopulate this country. Close the borders and enforce the immigration laws. If existing laws don’t do enough to stop the depletion of our resources, then write laws that do.

Stop penalizing American citizens, expecting us to obey the laws of this country, and honoring illegal immigrants with welfare, free education and the right to enjoy the benefits provided by the sweat and sacrifices of American citizens here legally.

Venita Thornton

Los Angeles

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These wretched souls are being forced out of their homeland by their own corrupt and uncaring government. These Mexican peasants have been downtrodden and exploited since the arrival in their land of the Spanish conquistadors. Mexico virtually has no middle class. You are either a member of the ruling class or you are a peon relegated to a life of slave labor with your only hope being to flee to the U.S. The U.S. has been the Mexican government’s safety valve, and as long as it remains so, Mexico will turn a blind eye to the injustice it is forcing on its own people.

The U.S. has every right to protect its borders from what has become an invasion from Mexico. California’s infrastructure is collapsing under the weight of overpopulation caused by this invasion. It will only stop when the Mexican government starts taking care of its own people.

Clifford Waeschle

Malibu