I am tired of The Economist’s repetitive fulminations against America deporting illegal immigrants (“Barack Obama, deporter-in-chief”, February 8th)
wrote an irate reader of
The Economist, David Donnelly, a year ago from Bangkok.
After all, they have broken the law. But more significant by far is
the message that any kind of amnesty sends to the millions of people
trying to emigrate to America who follow the rules but are turned down.
I have worked in Thailand for 15 years and I see daily the hundreds
of Thais visiting the American embassy to try to emigrate by adhering
to our procedures; less than 3% gain admission. The situation is the
same all over Asia and the developing world. There is little sympathy
for those who don’t get a visa. Yet illegal immigrants from Mexico are
to be rewarded for violating the law merely because America shares a
border with Mexico.
Such a policy promotes rather than discourages illegal immigration.
Nothing could be more illiberal and cruel, and nothing impoverishes
America more than rewarding those who violate its laws. Few, if any,
“nativists” oppose letting talented and educated immigrants into America
legally.
