Take time to understand plight of immigrants in U.S.

To the editor,

I participated in the march in my town on February 8 supporting immigrants and fair immigration policies. I read with dismay the comments related to the march by local individuals. I offer the following comment for their consideration.

Having family experience with the process of becoming legal and a citizen I know a little bit of the process by which individuals can become ‘legal’ in the United States.

Do you understand the time, money and effort it takes? Do you know the reasons why people expose themselves, their families and loved ones to attempt the often dangerous trip to this country?

My hope and thought are that if those who appear ready to blanket deport had the opportunity to sit down with these “illegals” and listen to their stories, hopes and dreams, and value, their minds and hearts might be more open, more understanding, more forgiving and less reactionary. At the very least they would be more informed.

We all admit that our immigration process is flawed and has been for decades. No one believes that dangerous criminals should be allowed into our Country.

Rather than focusing our efforts on mass arrests criminalizing and deporting individuals who have been here contributing to our communities and paying taxes, or have made perilous journeys in search of better lives often leaving behind families, shouldn’t our time be spent fixing our broken immigration system, deporting criminals who have committed real crimes, reducing red tape and the layers of bureaucracy that slows down and creates roadblocks in the system for present and future contributors to the betterment of our nation?

Creating camps as mass detention centers to “house” tens of thousands of people, and separating families at great cost to American taxpayers is not the answer.

-Brian Stahl, The Dalles