To the Editor,

Republicans in Congress pledge to deal with comprehensive immigration policy just as soon as our borders are secure — in other words, when pigs fly.

Our borders never will be secure enough to satisfy the Republicans, because that’s impossible. No matter how many fences we build, troops we deploy, or children we deport, our nation’s borders never will be impenetrable.

Our borders are huge; they abut Mexico and Canada and curve in and out of thousands of inlets along the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Bering and Beaufort seas. Thousands of airplanes cross our borders daily.

The USSR, East Germany and North Korea all tried in vain to completely secure their borders — albeit keeping people in, rather than out. They shot people trying to escape, and North Korea still does. If people can escape from North Korea (and some do), desperate people will always find ways into the USA — and the Republicans will always say “no” to rewriting our policy.

Republicans will claim their reason for saying “no” is to keep out terrorists and gangs, but our current immigration policy doesn’t do that, and it leaves 11 million people in this country unaccounted for. It’s also inefficient, inhumane, and penalizes our farmers, ranchers, and business people, who need the workers.

We need a new, comprehensive policy. I believe the real reason that Republicans don’t want to deal with this is because they don’t want ‘those people’ voting in our elections. It’s time to end this charade and take action. If that requires defeating candidates who oppose that action, so be it.

Ann Harroun
Loveland, Colorado