[This is a Letter to the Editor. For our policies on letters, and how to submit them, please see the bottom of this article]

Editor,

Interesting that a nation built by immigrants, arriving voluntarily and others against their will is now having heartburn over immigration. Is it because of who the current immigrants are?

Those who arrived earlier were fleeing religious persecution, seeking economic opportunity, and fear of racial persecution.

§  4.5 million Irish arrived in America between 1820 and 1930

§  During the same period, 6 million Germans arrived.

§  Hundreds of thousands came from Poland during the early 20^th century.

Those arriving today in Texas and Arizona are fleeing violence, political corruption, and searching for a better life. So, the reasons for coming are not too dissimilar. How the US is responding is quite different.

Surges in immigration to America are part of our history. Our policy was established by politicians and industry leaders sitting on their subsidized backsides, when it was determined beneficial for building the industries to drive our economy whether growing cotton, building railroads, or the steel industry. This group are those that stand to benefit by crafting visa rules for those they judged to need special consideration.

Today’s example is the H1B visa program, because it is judged that the US education systems is just not capable of producing the computer engineers, physicists, and physicians we need.

If there were an argument for bringing in a million persons from central and south America to fill jobs Americans are loathe to take in agriculture and hospitality services it just might take away the racial fears now being used by words like, “poisoning our blood stream.”

The solution rests in Congress, not in the White House.

Larry King, Cobb County, Founder, STEM News Technical Journal, LLC

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