Letter: Pathetic leaders complain about illegal immigration influx
To those leaders who are on mainstream TV networks, complaining of how their cities are overrun by illegal immigrants, let me cite some statistics:
Our southern border is over 1,930 miles long. The border wall that had $15 million appropriated in the prior administration has only about 458 miles completed, because in January 2020 a stroke of a pen with laughter and clapping occurred in the White House. I questioned the feckless proclamation to halt the building of the wall then, as well as numerous ineffectual actions regarding the border since. Only 458 miles of wall had been built — but millions of dollars of wall are rusting on the ground, with millions of dollars being paid to guard the wall. In the last 27 months since that quick signing, the wall would probably have been nearing completion. At least it could have helped border patrol.
There have been about 5,794,785 illegal immigrants come through those empty areas from January 2020 to April 2023. Where are they? Who is feeding them, housing them, caring for their medical needs? Who is paying for all this? The President is sending 1,500 additional active troops, who will be appreciated, but that is less than one person per mile of border, and far less than the numbers crossing in a 24 hour period.
The leaders of the sanctuary cities are crying on national TV because they are getting some of those? How many have been cared for in the small towns on the Southern border? They have to be overwhelmed also — and not all the mayors, members of both parties, are on the national TV networks blaming someone — they are working to try to care for their cities.
I feel for the immigrants also, but we have a large homeless population in the United States, that we have difficulty caring for. People born and raised in the U.S., or have immigrated legally, are having difficulty because of the inflation and poor economic policies. Yet they do not get some of the handouts the illegal immigrants do.
We need wise leadership, not people just wanting political gain.
Hope Welch
Hyde Park