In response to your Jan. 18 editorial concerning the immigration laws of the state of Alabama, I support your right to express your opinion and views on the issue. However, I do think it is intellectually dishonest to equate illegal immigration to the historical fight for racial justice for African Americans.
There exist laws on the books, long before this present crisis, had they been enforced and obeyed would have prevented this untenable situation that we now face. When laws are ignored and individuals are allowed to thumb their nose and skirt the law of the land the result is always pain and disappointment.
I know whereof I speak. I lived in Miami, Fla., for 40 years and observed hundreds of thousands of immigrants land on the shores of south Florida. I saw them incarcerated and made to work through the immigration process to become legal citizens of the United States of America. I observed the long and painful separation from family and loved ones so that one day, finally, these determined people could stand in unending lines at the Immigration and Naturalization office to take their turn at becoming a legal citizen.
The law works if the law is enforced. I have also observed thousands and thousands of migrant workers come legally (green card) and work in the fields of south Florida.
Now back to my original premise: Alabama’s immigration laws have nothing to do with the plight of black Americans or Jim Crow. You can’t mix apples and oranges on this issue. Black Americans have not only endured slavery and segregation, but have had their plight and fight for freedom compared and equated to homosexuality and now to illegal immigration. Africans were captured and dragged here against their will. They were demeaned and ostracized for decades only to have their journey compared to illegal activity. There are no comparisons. There are no similarities. The American Civil Rights movement led by Martin Luther King is unique.
One final word about the Alabama immigration law -- it is all about the green! When it started affecting the pocket books and bank accounts, all heck broke out!
Bottom line -- do it legally. The laws are on the books. Get a “green card. You can hire as many Latinos as you want. Just follow the laws of the land.
Franklin M. Jacobs
Ariton
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