Immigrants are our neighbors - echo opinion from Ocean City Maryland

Letter to the Editor of The Dispatch ~ a newspaper serving the greater Ocean City Maryland coastal communities:

Echo reader response to wrong minded opinion:

Alliance for Immigrant Neighbors logo

A wrong minded letter from Richard Ruzika’s (“Illegals Must Go Home” in the June 29 issue) begins by falsely claiming that nobody knows how many “illegals”, undocumented immigrants, are here in the United States. Actually, there’s quite a bit of information about undocumented residents, if one is interested in facts. Studies report there are about 11 million residing in the US as of last year, down from the peak year of 2007.

Who are they? They are our neighbors. Contrary to the assertions in the letter (and tirelessly insisted on by our prevaricating president), very few of them are criminals or violent. Again, data show immigrants commit fewer crimes than non-immigrants. The vast majority are here to work and support their families. They pay taxes and do jobs others won’t do. Again, data show that after the first generation immigrants are net contributors to the economy.

And it’s not just dry numbers. I know well several families of undocumented residents on the Eastern Shore. They are hard-working, church going, lovely people, honest and reliable. 

The hate expressed toward people like them by some people (who no doubt are - most likely- themselves, descendants of immigrants, with papers or not) is unfair and presumably based on ignorance.

Terry Grogan, Ocean City Maryland