LETTERS: On immigrants

Supporting immigrants

In response to a recent letter by Guadalupe E. Aguirre of Edinburg, who claimed that all undocumented immigrants are criminals, I point out that he contradicted himself by providing the proof that people who enter this country without inspection have not violated any criminal code. An act cannot be deemed a crime unless it is typified as one in a penal codew. As Aguirre rightly acknowledged, entering the United States without inspection is a violation of 8USC 1325, which is an administrative code. Violating an administrative code is like a traffic violation. It does not make you a criminal to be driving over the speed limit and that is why law enforcement officers cannot search your car just for a traffic violation because violating an administrative code does not a criminal make.

Undocumented immigrants do not go before a penal judge; they go before a federal immigration judge. Undocumented immigrants do not go to prison; they go to immigration detention centers. These are not just words. There is a reason for this distinction and any attempt to criminalize a whole demographic based on their very existence is no different than using the N-word to label every black person a thief.

In regards to his statement that The Monitor’s reporters “seem to think that these people are not criminals until they commit some type of criminal act in this country,” I say The Monitor is guilty of the opposite. This paper routinely uses the term “illegal” even when other major outlets have rightfully recognized the term as inaccurate, at the least, and offensive and racist at its extreme. But more telling than anything else his assumption that when people speak of “illegals” they’re speaking of someone else; they are referring to all brown people regardless of status.

Juan Ochoa, Mission

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Hah! What a joke! Friendly, howdy-filled Texas.

Not when it comes to the Texas Legislature and immigrants, and its recent crackdown on sanctuary cities. It’s: “Hi! Welcome! Come right in! But not you!”

Eugene “Gene” Novogrodsky, Brownsville

‘Thug’ rulers explained

What do Russian President Valdimir Putin, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, have in common? I believe they are all thugs who rule with an iron fist and massacre their own people without blinking an eye!

Why does President Donald Trump have such admiration for these evildoers? How can he praise and admire them?

All too often President Trump’s comments raise an eyebrow. This includes his recent admiration for the works of our seven president, Andrew Jackson. During President Jackson’s tenure his hatred for our Native Americans and his support for slavery were notoriously known.

Mary Martinez, McAllen

Increase Sunday font

This is in regards to Winter Texan Bob Parker’s Feb. 27 letter requesting “to make his week complete by making the Jumble part of your Sunday edition.” Well, now that the Winter Texans are back home, can “we,” the year-round locals, get back “our” regular sized font on the Sunday edition of the Cryptoquip, please? (I did say please).

David Solis, Mission