June 26, 2002

Dear Hal:

In looking over your web site, it seems that it smacks of an anti-immigrant agenda. I know from your "about me" web page, that you are married to a Latina, but that doesn't prove that your are not against Latinos. Can you explain your position?

Name Withheld

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June 27, 2002

Dear Name Withheld

For any debate on immigration, there must be a distinction between legal immigration and illegal immigration. When you say that my agenda smacks of being anti-immigrant, you are lumping all immigrants, both legal and illegal, together -- not a good way to start a debate on immigration in general.

Yes, I am married to a Latina, who by the way, immigrated illegally (now a proud U.S. Citizen). When I asked her why she didn't apply to immigrate through legal channels, she said that although she knew that it was technically illegal to enter the U.S. without permission, she felt that it was de facto legal -- in the U.S. it is legal to be illegal. It was much easier to step to the front of the line to be welcomed as an illegal immigrant, than to wait five to ten years and tons of red tape to get here.

So let me make a few points clear:

What may have been a tolerable level of illegal immigration in the past, is not necessarily tolerable anymore. When you have the Mayor of L.A. saying that L.A. is a Mexican City; and the City Council agreeing to accept un-verifyiable Mexican IDs as a valid form of Identification, when illegal immigrants are exempt from zoning laws (living in garages, illegal street vending, etc.); Giving illegal alien gang members immunity from deportation (Special Order 40) -- the City has put in place a virtual acceptance of illegal immigration which legitimatizes and encourages mass illegal immigration to Los Angeles.

My agenda is to reduce crime and restore our quality of life. I am not "targeting" immigrants -- I am targeting anyone including immigrants who break the law.

I for one, am in favor of traditional legal immigration -- not illegal immigration. Our city leaders also say they are not in favor of illegal immigration, but they go the next step to actually encourage it. I am in favor of city policy that discourages illegal immigration -- that doesn't make me anti-immigrant any more than it makes a married couple who plans how many children they will have and how they will raise them, anti-children.

Hal Netkin




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