GLENN MOLLETTE: Welcome Hard-Working Legal Immigrants

Americans can expect more immigrants to enter our country in the months and years ahead. Most Americans aren’t opposed to more citizens. Many of us are not favorable to undocumented foreigners roaming about our country.

I’ve been to Mexico and a few other countries. I’ve always had to show my passport and answer questions when entering another country or coming back to America. It only takes a few minutes.
Many years ago, my sons and I stood in a line of about a hundred people coming back to San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico. We showed our Driver’s license back then and came on back into the country. No one even asked for identification when we crossed into Mexico.

I’m happy to see documented immigrants come to America. They will come and they will work. In our area of the country we have a growing population of Hispanic farmers working our farmland. There are Hispanic restaurants popping up in every town. Asian restaurants, nail salons and more are on the increase. The best little food joint in our community is owned by a Hispanic immigrant and his family. They are the hardest working restaurant people I’ve ever seen.

Immigrants who document and come the legal way to America are coming here for a better life. They are not coming to sit on their backsides and collect our food stamps, welfare and whatever minimal amount of income they can obtain. Most of them come to help their families, send money back home and to achieve the American dream. They don’t come to be poor Americans. Many of these immigrants who are business owners often struggle and pay the price with many hours of hard work to stay open. For most of them, paying their workers $15 an hour will mean less hired labor and more hours of labor for the owners to try to keep their businesses open.

Steve Geis, from our town. had this to say recently about his documented grandfather coming to America. “Over 100 years ago my grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Germany. He came here via Ellis Island where it was documented where he came from as well as the destination he was going to. He said, “We know the name of the ship he was on, and names of all of its passengers.  He and the many others did what was required of them to become legal citizens. Locally, we found copies of his naturalization process. He and most other immigrants did it correctly! He added, “I would say welcome to anybody who would follow the procedure and become a fellow citizen of our great country.”

 America is not opposed to legal immigrants. Most of us are opposed to undocumented people crossing our border illegally. We are opposed to anyone from any nation who might come with any intent to harm our country.

Let’s continue to keep America a beautiful country for legal immigrants and a safe, free place for all.