Why so many immigrants risk their lives to come to America

The Statue of Liberty welcomed immigrants to America 100 years ago, and Ellis Island processed and quarantined them if needed. Where are the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island now? They are museums, mostly closed since COVID.

Not only should they reopen, but their ideals need to be reborn. Making room for “your tired, your poor” is part of the good American legacy, part of our soul. The internal strife we see today reflects the loss of that soul.

In World War II, there were stories of Jewish refugees sailing to numerous countries yet turned away from them — no room. They sailed back to Germany to almost certain death at the hands of the Nazis.

We have seen arguably similar acts of human abandonment by two different administrations. There are stories of Haitian refugees trying to reach the Mexican border for a chance at freedom but being put on a plane and sent back to Haiti to almost certain suffering.

A shantytown of tents appears under a bridge in Texas with 15,000 refugees. For what? A chance at freedom. It’s the dream of millions of immigrants who come here searching for a better life. They’re not coming to be freeloaders.

Perhaps some Americans are scared that these desperate people will work hard and succeed, which makes others feel badly about what they take for granted. There are millions of open jobs in this country. We need workers to fill them. The new immigrants will be willing to do their part if given the chance. We need rules, order and a system like we had 100 years ago, but it’s the right thing to do.

Marc Wigder,