According to more than 30 polls I have seen, 63 percent to 82 percent of those polled are concerned about the high numbers of immigrants coming to our country and want the numbers cut to 200,000 a year.

During Ellis Island’s heyday, from 1892 to 1924, more than 22 million new immigrants passed through the gates. In the past 32 years, we have exceeded those numbers. In addition, there are several million illegal immigrants who are living in our country.

With all the sprawl, congestion, shortages of clean water, gas consumption, not to mention the loss of prime farmland at our present population level, what will it be like with twice the number of people (that’s where we are headed in 50 years)?

Immigrants are now coming into the U.S. in record numbers — 646,568 in 1999, 849,889 in 2000, and 1,064,318 in 2001 — as legal permanent residents.

Guarding our borders and tightening our immigration policy in one swoop would alleviate many of the nation’s problems. Then why won’t our country’s leaders act in favor of the majority? One reason is they are afraid they will be called “racist” or “hate mongers.”

Mass immigration has diluted our sovereignty and national identity. It’s become an industry where people and organizations are making money off of it.

The new immigrants must adapt to us, not us to them. We must, I repeat, we must protect our American values. A nation can’t remain great if hard decisions are made on emotions and personal agendas over facts and common sense.

My opinion is that if the majority who favor cutting the numbers would rise up, become more vocal and active by calling their representatives, things would change. It would merely show they are patriotic, tax-paying Americans who are worried about the direction this nation is taking.

Remember, this is not about who but how many.

What kind of country do we want to leave to our children and grandchildren?

Paul Westrum

Albert Lea