LETTERS

America's Border

"The recognition of a person's need to find a job leads to a possible solution to the problem: a verifiable guest-worker program."

JOHN F. CHAMBLEE Tucson, Ariz.

THE UNCONTROLLED WAVES OF ILLEGAL immigrants passing across the U.S. border with Mexico are a danger not only to national security but also to the economic well-being of the citizens and other legal residents of this country [Sept. 20]. We in the border states seem to have less to fear from al-Qaeda than we do from the collapse of our infrastructure (schools, hospitals, roads) under the weight of illegal immigration, not to mention the effect on our work force. Thank you for avoiding all the meaningless cliches and getting to the heart of the matter: our government needs to take action immediately.

PEG MANNING Los Angeles

YOU PRESENTED A COMPLEX AND difficult topic in a one-sided, simplistic fashion. Throughout the article there was an anti-immigrant and inhuman tone: referring to Mexicans crossing the border as "illegals," as if they lacked a right to exist (alternative terms include undocumented people and noncitizens) and referring to "invaders" and "intruders," as if those crossing the border are coming here to take away what is ours rather than to work at jobs for which, even as TIME points out, employers want them. Coming across the border is a long, dangerous and at times deadly journey. People risk their lives in order to provide for their families and send money back home. A complete picture of border crossings would have mentioned the deaths of hundreds of people each year.

SARAH IGNATIUS LECTURER ON IMMIGRATION LAW BOSTON COLLEGE LAW SCHOOL Newton, Mass.

HATS OFF FOR PRESENTING THE TRUTH regarding our nation's borders! For more than 30 years, I was a member of the U.S. border patrol, and I have seen the apathy of both political parties regarding illegal immigration. Despite the war against terrorism, an estimated 1.8 million illegal aliens cross Arizona's border yearly. In a quest for votes and cheap labor, political parties and corporations actively promote illegal entries with promises of jobs and social services. The problem cannot be solved until elected leaders use their basic common sense and act. Terrorists can enter just as easily as do the masses of politically correct, government-sponsored illegals who violate our immigration laws 24/7.

JOHN SLAGLE, SPECIAL AGENT (RET.) U.S. BORDER PATROL Three Points, Ariz.

HOW ABOUT TAKING SOME OF THE billions of dollars that are going to Iraq and spending them to help the U.S. border patrol? Perhaps cheap labor for corporate America means more to politicians in power than a more secure America for the rest of us.

ROBERT JOHNS Everett, Wash.

OUR MISSION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF Homeland Security (DHS) is to protect the U.S. from terrorists and their weapons. We have taken an aggressive approach toward securing U.S. borders since 9/11 by focusing on closing interior immigration loopholes while shutting down the access and routes along our border. Therefore, I read with great disappointment your article "Who Left the Door Open?" The story failed to inform your readers of significant efforts by more than 34,000 DHS employees who work tirelessly every day to enforce our nation's immigration laws. In the past 18 months, the government has implemented more measures to counteract illegal immigration than in the past 10 years combined. Better use of technology, thousands of added border enforcement personnel and newly created partnerships with local law enforcement are all part of this effort. Your article failed to acknowledge any of the progress that has been made on these important issues.

ASA HUTCHINSON, UNDER SECRETARY BORDER AND TRANSPORTATION SECURITY DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Washington

ANY SUGGESTION THAT PEOPLE CROSSING the Mexican border are coming into the U.S. for terrorist purposes is offensive. Not one person who participated in the 9/11 attacks entered the country from Mexico. Of the undocumented Mexicans crossing the border, the vast majority do not pose any threat to U.S. security.

ANDRIA MACIAS-CASTILLO West Des Moines, Iowa

Tyson Responds

CONTRARY TO THE IMPRESSION LEFT IN your immigration story [Sept. 20], Tyson Foods aggressively follows U.S. hiring laws. You described the government's Basic Pilot program as an easy way for companies to verify a prospective employee's legal status yet omitted that Tyson has voluntarily participated in the program for years. You cited the prosecution's case against Tyson in a 2003 immigration trial yet barely mentioned that a jury acquitted the company. When so many companies have moved jobs offshore, those of us that have chosen to keep jobs here are working hard to provide for our employees and plant communities. If people are upset with how immigration is being handled, we should look to the government to reform the system, not blame companies that are trying to abide by the rules.

KENNETH J. KIMBRO, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT--HUMAN RESOURCES TYSON FOODS INC. Springdale, Ark.

Reform Is Needed

YOUR REPORT IMPLIED THAT CORPORATE America encourages illegal immigration, to the detriment of the nation [Sept. 20]. Unfortunately, the article was short on facts and instead relied on sensationalism, shoddy statistics and fearmongering. Immigration reform is long overdue, and a rational discussion is needed. We are a nation of immigrants, and they have and will continue to make enormous contributions to our country. Employers, like all Americans, want a rational legal immigration system.

SANDRA BOYD, VICE PRESIDENT FOR HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS Washington

YOUR DEROGATORY VIEW OF HARDWORKING undocumented workers was intolerable to me as a Hispanic American. We need immigration reform that makes our laws enforceable and frees up the border patrol and keeps out people who would harm us. Don't overlook the valuable contributions immigrants make.

MERCEDES MARTINEZ Chicago

PRACTICES THAT REWARD ILLEGAL immigration and undermine legal immigration are a slap in the face to those who painstakingly immigrate to the U.S. lawfully. Looking the other way when it comes to illegal immigration is no way to protect U.S. citizens.

JOSH MATACOTTA San Francisco

OUR POLITICIANS WANT TO PRETEND THAT the problem of illegal immigration doesn't exist. They are scared to death of being called racist. But controlling illegal immigration has nothing to do with racism. It is a matter of responsibility, economics, fairness and the rule of law.

ROWEN HORNER Murrieta, Calif.

Local Impact

I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA, AND I'M TIRED OF paying high taxes only to see our freeways jammed and our school systems and hospitals overburdened [Sept. 20]. Is it going to take another 9/11 before politicians grasp how easy it is for evildoers to cross from Mexico into the U.S.? Something needs to be done, and fast.

MAUREEN WALBY Los Angeles

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE INVADERS, economic terrorists who undermine the quality of American life. They are a burden that is crippling our country.

SUSAN CAMPBELL Los Angeles

WHEN I MOVED FROM COLORADO TO California eight years ago, I thought that the illegals were nice people who provided cheap labor and that we probably should have open borders. But I soon realized the effect that illegal immigration is having on my kids' schools, the economy and my taxes. It is a major factor in the fiscal woes of California. We need to close our borders--now!

ROB PETERSON San Marcos, Calif.

Mexico's Moves

"AMERICA'S BORDER" RECOGNIZED immigration as a major challenge in Mexican-U.S. relations [Sept. 20], but TIME failed to provide an objective view. Mexico's President Vicente Fox has a vision of shared responsibility between our two countries to ensure a legal, secure, orderly and humane migration that benefits both nations. In no way has President Fox "actively encouraged the migration" of Mexicans to the U.S. On the contrary, he has promoted economic and social policies aimed at creating more and better opportunities at home for Mexicans. In 2003, 23 organizations were dismantled, and more than 250 people were apprehended. A secure border should bring our two countries closer together.

GERONIMO GUTIERREZ UNDER SECRETARY FOR NORTH AMERICA MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MEXICO Mexico City

Standoff in Iraq

MANY WITH 20/20 HINDSIGHT BLAME BUSH for invading Iraq [Sept. 20]. Their hypocrisy is glaring, as an antiwar position can only mean Saddam Hussein and his two sadistic sons would still be in power. It is incredible that people can't see that if Saddam had not been removed, before long Iraq would have bankrolled terrorist organizations and suicide bombers to target Americans.

FRANK WENCESLAO Norwalk, Calif.

ALL OF US WANT TO BELIEVE BUSH'S assertions that the world is safer without Saddam. Had weapons of mass destruction and records of support for terrorists been found in Iraq, it would be a lot easier to believe the President. But there's a good chance that the U.S. is less safe, not more. Other countries, like Iran, have seen us invade Iraq under false pretenses. Isn't it possible they could develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent to invasion? Some say voters shouldn't change horses in midstream, but maybe people should question whether the President who got us into such a mess is the person we should trust to lead us out.

DON EDWARDS Oak Park, Ill.

Up Against It

RE "COOLNESS UNDER FIRE" [SEPT. 20]: John Kerry's troubled campaign convinces me that the U.S. is a nation of gullible buffoons. Of course Bush has supporters who would follow him into the depths of hell (which they may indeed do), but to see people being easily swayed by an Administration that has so many failures is mind boggling. The future is clear: the Administration will continue barreling along, arrogantly pushing its failed special-interest agenda, while the sheep (the American public) are herded off the cliff.

LORRAINE HUZAR Jericho, N.Y.

DOES KERRY KNOW WHAT THE AVERAGE American wants? Does he understand our worries about the future of our economy and the importance of permanent tax cuts? Or about our desire to ensure a strong, safe, proud America for our children and grandchildren? I am afraid that Kerry doesn't even seem to know himself. I do believe that he sincerely desires to be our President, but what can he do for the U.S.? So far, I'm not sure that Kerry truly cares about anything except adding "U.S. President" to his resume.

KIRK PRUDEN Sunrise, Fla.

Who Is Kerry, Really?

IN HIS INTERVIEW WITH TIME [SEPT. 20], John Kerry stated that a strategy of Bush's campaign advisers has been to attack Kerry "because they don't have a record to run on." But Kerry rarely refers to his Senate record. It looks as if he is avoiding talking about what he did as a Senator, which is why we independent voters are having such a hard time deciding who Kerry is and, measured by his voting record, what he stands for. You missed an opportunity to help us figure it out--and so has he.

ALLEN GRAY Shrewsbury, N.J.

WE NEED CONCRETE PLANS FOR HOW Kerry would improve things. Many conservatives and moderates are not overly pleased with Bush's record of decision making. Kerry's platform, however, isn't a reasonable alternative. He has reinforced the perception that his strongest point is that he's not Bush. On Election Day there may be very few votes for Kerry but a lot of votes against Bush.

MICHAEL THOMAS Salem, Ore.

Time to Get Down

COLUMNIST JOE KLEIN [SEPT. 20] QUOTED an unnamed prominent Democrat who said of President Bush, "If we can't beat this guy, with his record ...," and then the Democrat found himself unable to finish the sentence. If I may, I would like to complete it for him: If the Democratic Party can't beat Bush, then it deserves to go the way of the long-defunct 19th century Whigs and Know Nothings. And if Bush gets re-elected, I swear I will never vote Democratic again.

CARY A. WIESNER West Branch, Iowa

Bush's Military Record

THOSE WHO DID NOT LIVE THROUGH THE Vietnam era should not criticize Bush's record in the National Guard [Sept. 20]. Nearly everyone who could get a student deferment or a spot in the Guard did so. As a medical-school graduate during the war, I had no choice but to go on active duty, but I remember being embarrassed to wear my uniform in public. Attitudes have changed since then. What happened 35 years ago should not be an issue for either Bush or John Kerry. What should matter are their records as President and Senator.

DAVID S. ALKEK Dallas

"THE X FILES OF LT. BUSH" STATED, "A GAP in service was not unprecedented ... members of the Dallas Cowboys served in the Guard and routinely disappeared during the football season." Ah, I guess if a long absence was O.K. for pro-football players, then it was also O.K. for Bush?

MARGOT C. MILNER Remuzat, France