U.S. cannot accept everyone who wants to come here

Editor’s note: We offer here a collection of letters this week from Sun Sentinel readers who support and oppose President Trump’s immigration policy. Letters are running three-to-one against the president’s actions.

I don’t believe anyone is saying there should be no immigration. Personally, I think open borders would be very bad public policy, straining resources that existing citizens complain are inadequate, such as health care, education, social services. While laudable to want to help the whole world, it’s not very practical, any more than accepting dozens of homeless persons into your home when you cannot provide for your own children.

The strong emotion associated with separating families misses the point. Parents decided to place themselves, and their children, in a dangerous situation, basically breaking into the U.S. Is it a surprise that the sanctions associated with illegal conduct would be harsh?

The U.S. routinely separates parents from their families when illegal conduct occurs. It is called prison. Many of our prisoners can make as compelling an argument as the illegal immigrants — that they were seeking their share of the American Dream. No one is concerned about taking U.S. lawbreakers away from their families.

I have a difficult time understanding why people from other countries should receive preferred treatment for consciously choosing to undertake illegal activity. It may be laudable to accept everyone in the world into the U.S., only then it wouldn’t be the U.S. anymore. Tom Bolf, Plantation