Letters

Inside America's Secret Workforce

Our story on Mexican migrants who work in the U.S., send their earnings back home and exist uneasily between two worlds sparked a sympathetic response from readers who were critical of U.S. immigration policies. Others denounced illegal aliens for taking the jobs of U.S. citizens

Being a Mexican immigrant in the U.S. gives me pretty good insight into the immigration issue [Feb. 6]. It took me seven years to get a resident visa, and I am a college-trained interpreter. In my heart, there is always the dream of going back home. If a guest-worker program were in place, my fellow countrymen and I could go back to Mexico every so often, reaffirming our roots, and not remain indefinitely in the U.S. Since there is no such program in place, we have only one choice: to stay as long as we can and save as much money as possible, while our roots back home are dying.

MAYTTE BRICIO New Orleans

You should have examined how the wave of immigrant laborers affects American-born workers. As a gardener and landscape designer, I have seen firsthand how clients are bypassing American landscapers and hiring immigrant day laborers, whom they can pay less. In an economy already hurt by the outsourcing of U.S. jobs, should we allow Americans to be cut out of employment right here at home?

JUDY TIMPA Wakefield, Mass.

It is astounding that the media continue to refer to illegal immigrants as "migrants" and "undocumented immigrants." The fact is, people who break the U.S.'s immigration laws are committing illegal acts, whatever their reason, and they should be labeled consistently as illegals.

CARIN MAHER El Segundo, Calif.

Thanks for the extraordinary article about the many difficult aspects of Mexican immigration. Your story was a dead-on portrayal of all the pain, confusion and resentment in the quagmire of illegal immigration. There are many wonderful, hardworking people who are doing needed jobs in the U.S. and helping their families back home. It is unfortunate that there are also many migrants who are here to take advantage of American generosity. The core problem is that the U.S. has such an incoherent plan for immigrants that people on both sides of the border feel threatened.

JONATHAN COHEN Seattle

There are two addictions here: That of the Mexicans to the U.S. dollar and that of the Americans to cheap labor. In addition, it plainly doesn't matter how long we Mexicans have lived in the U.S. We struggle and maneuver between two languages and two cultures and settle somewhere in the middle, neither here nor there. Everyone pays a price: for the Mexican, it is being away from family and home, probably never to return permanently, and for the American, it is having to provide health care and other services for this secret workforce.

ANGELICA BALDERAS Lincoln, Calif.

Upset Victory

After the militant organization Hamas won a clear majority in the Palestinian parliament [Feb. 6], its critics denounced the election results. The Israeli Cabinet said it will not negotiate with a Palestinian administration that calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. But Hamas won on not only its political agenda but also its social and welfare programs. It is counterproductive and unrealistic for the U.S. not to continue financial assistance to the Palestinians who voted for a change.

TOUFIC H. BARAKEH Surbiton, England

Strictly Kosher

In the cover story on lobbyist Jack Abramoff [Jan. 16], TIME said he had shared some fried chicken with Indian tribal leaders when he met with them. I know Jack keeps a strictly kosher diet. I asked him about that meal, and he assured me that he did not eat nonkosher food with the leaders, as you reported.

KIM EISLER Bethesda, Md.

The Trouble with Elections

IN "Democracy, The Morning After," columnist Joe Klein criticized President George W. Bush's policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East [Feb. 6], stating, "From Afghanistan to Egypt, not one country that has had an election in the past year has emerged more stable as a result of the experience." But what is the alternative? Democracy is surely an achievement, and until someone has a better plan for Iraq, I will back Bush's.

TIM SAVISKY Pittsburgh, Pa.

Klein's column was right on the mark. It is amazing to me, a "Reagan Democrat," how quickly the U.S. electorate could forget President Bush's campaign positions that criticized the Clinton Administration's policy of "nation building." Isn't that precisely what Bush has us doing in Afghanistan and Iraq? As Klein said, democracy "demands that people take charge of their lives and make informed decisions." I hope Americans make informed decisions in the next elections.

RICHARD ZACK

New Providence, N.J.