Letter to the Editor

Tieg Slattery,

Your opinion piece was flatly inaccurate and disturbing. To assume that the Arizona bill is somehow a result of an American classist attack on poor people is like saying any wealthy person who puts a home security system on his house is discriminating against poor people looking to steal his TV. The fact of the matter is, illegal aliens are not law-abiding citizens; the moment they cross the border without the proper authorization they are criminals. Even Mexicans agree to this; just look at their staunch anti-illegal alien policy regarding their own southern border.

Furthermore, you try to make the argument that American elitism prevents Americans from taking the jobs that illegal aliens fill in the US. To assume that those jobs would go undone if it wasn't for illegal aliens shows, if nothing else, an ignorance of popular American television programming (Dirty Jobs is a fantastically interesting show).

Also, you take away opportunities from poor, legal citizens. The only difference between employing a poor legal citizen and employing a poor illegal alien is that the employer of an illegal alien pays less for labor. By defending the illegal alien you are not solving any problems of poverty or injustice, rather supporting large corporations who want to maximize profits by hiring and abusing illegal aliens.