Sorry but no, they are not ‘illegals’

To the editor:

(re: “Trump was better at immigration,” May 25)

Mr. Larry Penner’s recent letter presents some errors which I believe require correction.

Twice, he refers to “illegal immigrants, and once uses the even more offensive term “illegals.” He seems to be unaware that, according to international law the United States has signed onto, any human being has a right to present themselves at the border and request asylum, and to have their request adjudicated in a court of law.

The immigrants who comply with that procedure have every right to do so. Apparently, Mr. Penner — along with our current president — wishes that our post-World War II government had not agreed to the international law. But we did. If we assume that all immigrants entering the United States are not going through the customs and border patrol points of entry, then there is a crisis and the border is “not secure.”

Certainly, when the border was, in fact, closed under Title 42, huge numbers of immigrants desperate for safety crossed illegally. That doesn’t seem to be the case today. Most of the immigrants seem to be waiting patiently for a chance to present themselves to border patrol. They are entering legally.

There is no reason to assume they are criminals requiring careful vetting.

If there is a crisis, it is a resource crisis, as communities resist shouldering the services our new neighbors require. We resist paying for a robust immigration court system to adjudicate cases quickly. We resist paying to house the homeless, to feed the hungry.

Helen Krim