To the editor:
The 1986 IRCA law was passed to solve the problem of illegal immigration. Obviously that didn’t happen.
So how did we get here? Budget cuts to border security and immigration judges, and failure to develop automated systems to track those who overstayed legal visas, amnesty requestors, Afghans or Iraqis who were our allies, etc. have led to our current situation. These cuts allowed undocumented immigrants to become woven into our communities and become well-respected neighbors. Many applied for citizenship and followed processes. Sanctuary cities sprang up to protect these immigrants.
The Trump Administration proclaimed there are 13,000 MS-13 criminals here. The ICE mission was to find them and deport them and other gangs to Ecuador. However, ICE is doing sweeps on our streets, picking up anyone who looks or talks “foreign,” showing up at citizenship court hearings and arresting those who appear, going to schools looking for parents, terrifying children and sometimes taking the young to detention centers. All to reach the totals the President wants.
For 37 years we did nothing. Just before the 2024 election a bipartisan bill was ready for presentation, but Trump personally quashed it. Now we have major demonstrations, shooting and harming of citizens, and unexplained deaths at detention centers. I don’t know the answer. However, I will be looking at all candidates for office and vote for the one(s) that understand the issues and commit to working on a solution.
Sharon Davies
Cape Coral