In response to Mr. David Behling’s column on Oct. 18, it’s very apparent to me that it needs some clarification. It is unbelievable that a person with his degree in education, and a college teacher yet, does not know the difference between legal and illegal. Makes one wonder what other misinformation he’s teaching our youngsters.

I’m proud to say my parents came to this country from Denmark. But they went through the channels the legal way, and after many months became U.S. citizens. Consequently I take offense to Mr. Behling’s remark that we’re all immigrants. There, Mr. Behling, is the difference. They became legal immigrants and the “immigrant bashers,” as you labeled them, are writing about illegal immigrants. Another thing Mr. Behling talks about is growing up in Arizona among so many immigrants. That just has to be several decades ago when our federal laws were being enforced. So these immigrants he tells about were very likely coming in legally.

Today, we have people in Washington who overlook our laws and border control is one of them. So we have between 10 and 11 million illegal immigrants living here. Of all the letters I have read in the Tribune, I don’t recall any of the “immigrant bashing” of the legal immigrants who go through the legal channels.

One more note about my parents. When they came over from Denmark they had to have a sponsor, a job and a place to live. Nowadays it seems as though they sneak in and become illegal immigrants and some people either don’t know the difference or they don’t care.

This sets a very poor example for our young people.

 

Robert F. Petersen

Albert Lea