No one is denying our need for immigrants

My thanks to Georgianna Summers (Letters, October 21) for reminding us that we are a nation of immigrants, founded by an inspired group of citizens who, back in 1776, placed in to our founding documents the key values of liberty and justice for all.

In my life experience, I have met no person from either political party who denied our need for immigrants. Certainly, given changing demographics, we grey-haired baby boomers realize that young and hardworking newcomers will be required if our Social Security checks are to continue clearing the bank. But most reasonable people would prefer a carefully constructed, fair, and fully enforced system of immigration policies, rather than the highly porous and nonsensical practices that we have endured for decades under Democrats and Republicans alike. And it’s the stress on our educational systems, distortion of labor markets, and upward pressure on housing—rather than the DNA of the immigrants—that seem to be of greatest concern.

The race or ethnicity of the folks we invite to join us legally does not seem to matter much to the Euro-Americans and other citizens of many hues who already reside here. Whole areas of California, including the San Gabriel and San Joaquin Valleys, have contained a majority of people with Spanish last names for decades, without much griping from others. And the State of Hawaii has always had a rich multi-colored non-white majority. Not only do white Americans not avoid the state, they flock there in droves at every opportunity.

— Carl Ochsner, Chico