Immigrants needed

I was appalled by Richard Sanders’ letter of March 30. First of all, as a liberal, I would not vote for Caligula under any circumstances.

Mr. Sanders’ statements regarding immigrants are largely inaccurate. While we need a humane and practical solution to immigration, President Joe Biden has not opened the floodgates, and a comprehensive border security bill was torpedoed by Mr. Donald Trump, a proven liar and narcissist, as he believed it would hurt his election chances. The migrants crossing the border now are not “the worst of the worst.” They are almost exclusively citizens of nearby countries wanting a better life, and some of them are literally running for their lives. Studies have shown a lower crime rate for illegal immigrants than the native-born population.

Quoting a Chicago Tribune editorial reprinted in the March 18 edition of the Pine Bluff Commercial, “our need for economic growth still dictates that migration at the sort of levels we’re seeing now must continue in order to keep the U.S. population rising enough to provide the labor we need and keep the economy healthy.” Who do we see working on replacing roofs in the middle of summer in 100degree temperatures, or overwhelmingly working in landscaping? Not the native-born.

I question whether Mr. Sanders or others questioning the contribution of today’s migrants would have been on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland in the middle of the night to patch the potholes. The men that perished there were all migrants. BETH LEVERETT

Springdale