Fighting for Citizenship: Immigrants’ Uphill Climb
Neil Gouveia should be proud. His family came to the United States properly, and with the right attitude and values (“Why Trump is right on immigration,” PostScript, Aug. 5).
My grandmother, who came from Italy, studied hard, just like Gouveia’s parents. She was so happy when she passed the test and became an American citizen.
Gouveia should not be ostracized by liberals who believe that everyone should be allowed to come to America. Citizenship is a privilege; it’s not a right for anyone who was not born on American soil. I’m proud to have Gouveia in my country. Donna Orosz New Hyde Park
Gouveia says America is the land of opportunities, yet asylum-seekers are being treated like dirt and their children stolen from them.
It took my sister-in-law 13 years to become a citizen. She is the hardestworking, most decent person you could ever want to know or hire for a job.
She came on a green card, but now green cards are drying up like snow in the desert.
Gouveia makes it sound like his parents entered the Olympics in order to become a citzen, while every other immigrant gets a free pass, which is not the case.
We need immigrants. They do all the jobs entitled, elitist Americans are not willing to do. Joan Mullally Brooklyn
Like Gouveia, I am also a legal immigrant and naturalized citizen of the United States.
I arrived in this great country in 1997 at the age of 12, when my father began the arduous process of obtaining a work visa and then a green card.
After several years of waiting, I applied and obtained citizenship. The entire process was long and costly, but fair. At no point did I feel like my father or I were prevented from pursuing citizenship.
Because of this, I feel very strongly that those who circumvent this process and attempt to enter and stay in this country illegally are wrong. They are an insult to those, like my father, myself and Gouveia, who have gone through the legitimate process. Edgar Radjabli Manhattan
Everyone, it seems, is complaining about a broken immigration system.
Yet nothing is being done to repair the problem, because we have a broken Congress. Ignatius Giorgio Brooklyn