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From the tone of Alan Shope's letter of Feb. 17, it seems he would like to just throw open our borders and allow anyone from any country to come to the United States. Then we should take them under our wing and see that they are comfortable. His policy would allow all the criminal element to freely cross our borders at will without fear of being deported.
I can't see where 287(g) is costing us a great deal because it only applies to those who have committed a crime and are apprehended by law enforcement. I applaud the sheriff's office for becoming 287(g) certified because we already have enough American criminals in jail and we don't need foreign ones.
I agree that we are a nation of immigrants and I welcome those who come to America legally, but not those who sneak across the border. The United States has a policy in effect that allows immigrants to come here, establish residence and be employed. When they do that, they are welcomed and treated like citizens. After that they can apply for American citizenship and I support that.
However, I cannot support measures that grant blanket amnesty to all those who are here illegally. To do so is a slap in the face to all those who have applied to immigrate here and are still waiting for their applications to be processed. From the information I get, there are hundreds of thousands of them. It just isn't fair to them to welcome those here illegally and grant them amnesty.
Bethel Midgett
Gainesville