Dear Editor,

I read a letter to the editor recently from a teacher who was saddened by the loss of his students due to the recent immigration law passed in Alabama. I believe that teachers, as well as other people of supposed intellect, however misty eyed, should still be able to see that this is not Alabama’s fault.

The parents of these students are to blame—not society as a whole, but the illegals themselves, for not entering our country properly, are responsible.

Hispanics are not the only ones being targeted. A Yemini in Gadsden was actually the first in the state to be subjected to actual enforcement of the new laws.

I doubt lawmakers are “fearful” of illegals but rather recognize the undo costs and responsibilities placed upon the state by these people. How about the hospitals nationwide that have been forced to close because of the uncompensated care that they have been forced to provide? What about the extra people on W.I.C and food stamps when the majority do not even pay into these programs through taxation? How about the billions of dollars sent back to the home countries rather than being spent here? I don’t have the room to go into all the negative effects on the job market, wages and the labor force.

These people are criminals; it is their fault they have to leave. Should we just accept things the way they are and allow these people to stay? We have to obey our laws, why shouldn’t we force others to do so as well? These people are not refugees, they are illegals. I am not unsympathetic to them wanting a better life, but there are legal ways to do it.

Mark Domian, Jemison