I was reading the story Sunday and I am concerned. In the news, most of the citizens of our country are concerned with the influx of illegal immigrants from Central and South America flooding into our country and exhausting our resources.

I have no problem with people coming here for a better life, all of our ancestors did, but I don't respect anyone who cannot follow the rules. If you cross our border illegally, you should expect that you might get caught and be deported.

I also wonder why this lady was married to the man for five years and had not bothered to get him legal status. If she misses him so much, she should go to Mexico and be with him. Then he can reapply, follow the rules and become an American citizen.

The rules should not only apply to those who choose to follow them. Maybe we should be more concerned about the fact that we are supposed to feel sorry for all the criminals who cross our borders each day. If these immigrants want a better life, they should follow the channels, learn English, get citizenship and pay taxes like other Americans.

I respect all immigrants who want a better life and work for it, not those who think that it is owed to them the minute they cross our borders illegally. Let's not kid ourselves anymore by saying that these people do the jobs that Americans will no longer do. We were happy doing them until the cheap people in charge decided to use illegal workers. If they could only speak English, they would know they were being used.

Sign me as a concerned American who is tired of hearing about how we should feel sorry for criminals.

Rachel Glover
Oakwood

Cronic and deputies acted to enforce law
Hall County Sheriff Steve Cronic and his deputies should be commended for taking the steps to deport lawbreakers who are found to be in this country illegally. They do not deserve the accusations that Linda Gonzales made in Sunday's Times about them.

The truth of the matter is that a DNR employee found Innencinco Gonzalez to be fishing without a license and turned him over to the Hall County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's department found that he was in this country illegally and recommended that ICE arrange to deport him, according to law.

I wish that The Times had dug a little bit deeper into this story to find out if Gonzalez was paying Social Security tax and income taxes. Did he have a driver's license? Did he own a car and pay property taxes on it? Did he have a health insurance plan? In other words, was he contributing to the country or was he freeloading?

If Gonzalez was contributing, a special effort should be made to return him to his wife legally. If not, he should be barred from returning to this country for a long, long time.

Jim Waldrep
Lula

Congratulate our law enforcement for effort
Your article on Sunday's front page truly concerns me. Not because another illegal immigrant was finally deported out of our country, but because it appears to be an article by a bleeding-heart liberal.

Nowhere in the article does The Times congratulate the local enforcement agencies for doing a job well done. Instead the article makes it appear that we should all feel sorry for the Gonzales family while harboring an illegal immigrant.

Wrong; that is not how America feels. We are tired of illegal immigrants in our country abusing our systems, depleting our resources, abusing our education, social services and other taxpayer-provided services.

I congratulate the Hall County law enforcement agencies for doing what our federal government neglects to do. Thank you, Hall County, for doing your job.

Instead of always printing articles that make Americans look like the "bad guys" for enforcing our laws, why not start publishing front-page articles that show our laws are being enforced? Those who are here in "my" country legally are always welcome, but illegal immigrants are not welcome at all.

Unfortunately, we can't deport Mrs. Gonzales along with her husband, since she no longer is proud of her people or country, as stated in the article.

Belinda Stafford
Clermont

Immigrants can find help to enter US legally
Some people can't see the forest for the trees. This country has laws and when they are broken and you get caught you get punished. Whether it be fishing or being here illegally.

Just because Mr. Gonzalez was caught fishing is not the reason he was deported, as Mrs. Gonzalez would have you to believe in her article. It was because he was here illegally. If any one else gets caught fishing without a license, we would have to pay a fine and lose the privilege of fishing. That is the price you pay for doing wrong.

If Mrs. Gonzalez is missing her husband so much, why doesn't she go to Mexico and be with him? I will donate the first $10 for her to go.

The 287(g) initiative is to help rid our country of illegal immigrants. If they are so gung-ho to come over here, then do it the right way. I am sure that if Mrs. Gonzalez looks she can find someone to help her. There is all kinds of help, as I have found out.

But for the Gonzalezes to expect Americans living in this country legally to close our eyes to what is going on is just asking a little much for me. We citizens pay for all the government agencies that are on every street corner to help illegal immigrants. Why or even how could someone ask all of us to give a little bit more when we don't have any more to give?

Sometimes things run downhill with no help from gravity, and it seems that is what is happening here.

Joe Chambers
Cleveland

Husband may be back
I have no sympathy for the woman whose husband was sent back to Mexico. Her husband was here illegally and the police enforced the law. It's that simple. Besides, with the way we enforce the border today, he'll be back within the month.

Get a grip, America!

Todd West
Gainesville