Americans in favor of wall should look at U.S. history

The letters to the editor section on Feb. 3 included two letters which strongly supported the president’s call for a wall on our southern border. Though we all recognize that there is a limit to our ability to accept immigrants, these writers, like the president, seem to have forgotten some of our history.

Unless these writers are African-Americans (brought to the U.S. as slaves) or Native Americans, then these writers or their relatives came here as refugees. They left their home for one of two reasons: to avoid persecution — like the Jews during World War II or the Southeast Asians after the Vietnam War — or they came because of severe economic chaos — like the Irish in the 1850s or the Italians and Eastern Europeans at the turn of the 19th century.

When they came, they all were greeted with the same reaction — they were not welcome. Ben Franklin said that the Germans didn’t belong because they spoke a different language and viewed Christmas as a holiday, not a holy one. The Irish found signs saying Irish need not apply; the Chinese in the 1870s were met with the Chinese Exclusion Act; the Italians and Eastern Europeans were subjected to the Immigration Act of 1924, which effectively denied all Catholics a way in. During WWII, many Jews were denied entry and the U.S. even sent the MS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees, back to Germany in 1939.

Yes, the president is correct, there were and there are “bad hombres” in each of these groups. But the vast majority were and are good hardworking people who helped to make this country great. They took the jobs that no else wanted, just like the Central Americans are doing. How many of our children are willing to work 14 hours in the California sun picking fruits and vegetables, or are willing to get up at 5 a.m. to clean toilets and mop floors in our resorts or hospitals?

If we really don’t want these hardworking people who are willing to risk everything then maybe we should consider assisting their countries to become more safe and stable (we get very few Costa Ricans as refugees — why?). LAWRENCE EHRLICH

Brighton Heights