We need immigrants

I am appalled at the level of ignorance exhibited on foreign aid, immigrants and Muslims in a recent letter. American foreign aid is given to a country to get rid of poverty, improve education, economics, and in some cases to eradicate an endemic disease such as malaria in Africa. It is only 1 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, and every major industrialized nation does it to improve humanity.

Foreign aid is the only program in the U.S. budget that enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of the Congress. Our elected representatives know the invaluable good will foreign aid generates for us in the international arena. It seems Mr. Walter Skelton has a very primitive view of immigrants. Immigration is the nucleus of the American economy. Since the U.S. produces very few science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) graduates every year, the country looks to foreign-born STEM graduates to fill the void. Many of the immigrants do become job creators and CEOs of American companies. One such foreign-born STEM graduate was Mr. Shahid Khan, the owner of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. Mr. Khan is a STEM immigrant from Pakistan four decades ago and has created over 30,000 well-paid manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Another is Mr. Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, a STEM immigrant from India. The U.S. needs these immigrants to keep the economy humming.

Lastly, Muslims have been a part of U.S. demography since the days of slavery. More than 25 percent of African slaves brought to the U.S. were Muslims. Recent Muslim immigrants are STEM immigrants. No Muslim that I know wants to establish Sharia in the U.S. We all want to follow the U.S. Constitution and we salute the flag. MOHAMED NAWAZ

Little Rock