Immigration Divides the Nation

Our report on the debate over what to do about America's 11 million illegal immigrants sparked comment from readers who argued against punishing people for seeking a better life. But others rejected offering citizenship to those who have broken the law or are unwilling to assimilate

"Should They Stay Or Should They Go?" [April 10] was a thought-provoking contribution to the divisive debate on illegal immigration. The 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. broke our laws, and that has to be remedied. But surely the majority of them are otherwise law-abiding, hardworking individuals, many with children who are American citizens. For the sake of millions of American citizens who are no less patriotic than the rest of us, let's not criminalize their parents just because they are here illegally. We should make illegals pay a fine and, if they have no criminal record, allow them to apply for a guest-worker visa and demonstrate that they can speak English. If they fulfill those requirements, they should be able to stay.

MICHAEL KARANJA Dracut, Mass.

U.S. companies pay illegals poverty wages, reap high profits and complain that if they had to employ legal workers they would go out of business. That is modern slavery, no matter how you cut it, and the only way to stop it is to close the borders, fine those who hire illegal immigrants and then ferret out the illegals who are in this country.

WILLIAM KITTLE Birmingham, Ala.

Giving amnesty to illegal aliens would be similar to catching a man driving a stolen car and then allowing him to keep the car and providing him with a lifetime supply of gas. Why isn't it apparent that if you break the law, any law, you have committed a crime and should not be permitted to keep the stolen goods?

THEODORE H. DREWS Lihue, Hawaii

It will be difficult if not impossible to settle the immigration problem without inciting emotions and stirring anger. There is no panacea available to Congress that will satisfy everyone. The influx of undocumented workers helps and burdens U.S. citizens, but the issue is so polarizing that Americans on both sides of the fence seldom seek compromise or consider the big picture. U.S. citizens who benefit from reduced prices at the supermarket also see their tax dollars strained to support overburdened hospitals, schools and social programs. The only reasonable solution is to pass a law that incorporates compassion with responsibility. It is too late to begin criminalizing people who risked their lives accepting an invitation from U.S. businesses to break the law.

WAYNE TRUJILLO Denver

I am one of thousands of Indians who came to this country legally. I waited for a green card for five years, filed multiple forms, paid taxes and abided by all the rules and laws. Millions of my countrymen are still awaiting a green card (let alone citizenship) after many years because they have followed the law. How fair is it to grant citizenship to people who entered illegally while legal immigrants have to wait to become Americans? It seems that it is advantageous to break the law in the U.S. The only solution is to let illegals remain and keep working but to close the borders.

SHANKAR KRISHNA Pacheco, Calif.

If I had an opportunity to feed my child three meals a day instead of one, to provide a clean and safe home rather than an uninhabitable dwelling without running water and to offer the chance for a good education, I would do whatever was in my power to make that happen. How can we judge others for doing the same, and how can we not judge ourselves for making that a crime? The U.S. has been making many, many mistakes lately, both domestically and globally. Let's not miss a good opportunity to do what is right for humankind rather than for political interests.

JENNIFER LOVING Sunnyvale, Calif.

What makes our Congressional leaders believe that people who have already proved themselves capable of evading the law will now raise their hand to pay a fine and go back to their home country for a period of time or register for a guest-worker visa? It is simply naive.

MARNIE COOKE Noblesville, Ind.

What a sad disservice the protesters did to their cause by waving the Mexican flag at the recent rallies. Don't they understand that you can't muscle your way into a new land and then claim allegiance to another? Immigrants should assimilate and demonstrate reverence for this country, not parade blatant disrespect and arrogance. Americans understand the dream and have shown time and again that we support immigrants who come for the opportunity of a life with dignity and possibility.

AURORA EKLUND Los Angeles

It's silly to discuss deporting millions of illegal immigrants as if that were really an option. Even if the U.S. attempted such a mass deportation, the result would be civil war or at least one hell of an insurgency. Illegals are here and more are coming, so get used to it.

STERLING GREENWOOD Aspen, Colo.

America must deal justly with 11 million illegal immigrants today or deal helplessly with millions more tomorrow.

JIMMY REED Oxford, Miss.

My father is part of the first American-born generation in our family, and I am proud of my immigrant grandparents. Most Americans have immigrant ancestors, so why are we preventing future Mexican-American children from being able to do the same? Illegal immigrants are obviously here wrongly, but they should, to some extent, be able to live and work here. We Americans used to be proud of opening our doors to immigrants seeking freedom and opportunity. When did that change?

AMANDA MCLOUGHLIN Merrick, N.Y.

What's Next for Israel?

TIME'S stort on Ehud Olmert's victory in the Israeli elections [April 10] said it showed that Israeli voters "are apparently ready to sacrifice the ancient dream of a Greater Israel--stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River--for peace with a Palestinian state." But most Israelis already favored such a sacrifice. The concept of a Greater Israel has been embraced by only a minority. While you reported Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' regret that Olmert did not win more seats, most Israelis regret Abbas' failure to stop Hamas from winning the latest Palestinian elections. That Israel's center-left captured such a large number of seats and that the right-wing Likud Party has disintegrated--even on the heels of the Hamas victory--should be viewed as a hopeful development. What remains to be seen is whether a Palestinian leadership emerges that is capable of taking the next step forward to a lasting peace.

JEFFREY ELLIS Los Angeles

Gorby Talks

Re your interview with Mikhail Gorbachev [April 10]: Gorbachev was one of the most influential leaders for peace in the 20th century. Americans should pay attention to what he said in TIME's interview: "America is intoxicated by its position as the world's only superpower. It wants to impose its will. But America needs to get over that. It has responsibilities as well as power." We Americans need to change our posture.

BOB SCHIECK

Antioch, Ill.

I was amazed to read that Gorbachev's government pension is only 40,000 rubles a month, about $1,400. I wish U.S. Presidents and politicians received similarly meager pensions.

REX H. WYERS Pace, Fla.

Sex in the Syllabus

While I was pleased that you reported on pornography studies [April 3], comments attributed to me need clarification. I do use sexually explicit materials in my human-sexuality course, although X-rated movies are not the only means to teach pornography. In response to your reporter's question about students who might be exploited in a sexuality class, I explained that students should not be exploited in any way, whether in a sexuality course or a statistics course. Your story consequently stated that I believe porn "is best taught with the same dispassion with which one would teach a course on statistics." I am very passionate about my subject, which obviously cannot be taught the same way as statistics. Last, I teach at Indiana University, not the University of Indiana.

CATHERINE M. SHERWOOD-PUZZELLO CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR INDIANA UNIVERSITY Bloomington, Ind.

Eyes on 2008

Columnist Joe Klein noted Senator Bill Frist's missteps as he has courted the G.O.P. presidential nomination [April 10]. I too am repulsed by politicians who put personal job security before defending the democratic principles that have made our country a beacon of freedom. Two people could lead the country away from the poverty and suffering resulting from Republican corruption and mismanagement: Al Gore and Senator Russ Feingold. True leadership is necessary to address global warming, nuclear proliferation and national security.

BRIAN CAMPION Burlingame, Calif.

Klein stated that Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton "have taken courageous positions on important issues, especially the war in Iraq." Give me a break. To anyone not living in the bizarre world alongside George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice, it is apparent that what is going on in Iraq is a murderous disaster. The only leader who has taken a courageous stand on the war is Representative John Murtha, who has called for bringing all the troops home from Iraq.

KENNETH R. WEINBERG New York City

Klein's column about presidential ambitions brought to mind a quip attributed to Gore Vidal: "Any American who is prepared to run for President should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so."

DAVID R. THIESSEN Woodstock, Ill.