Criminals are those who exploit immigrants

I never expected to be defending illegal immigrants as distinguished from illegal immigration, which is indefensible.

However, a lynch 'em mentality seems to be dominating public opinion on how to treat illegal immigrants.

Can we just consider this before resorting to verbal or physical violence: Illegal immigrants are likely to be the unskilled, the impoverished, the desperate. Looking back at your own distant first-generation American ancestors, how many of them came here for any but desperate reasons?

Emphasizing that those are ill-educated, poor and desperate people, who is to blame for their transgressions? Those to blame are those who exploit their ignorance and hope for a better life ... who capitalize on their ignorance and charge them dearly for help immigrating illegally ... who salivate over the prospect of cheap labor.

The fault, dear Brutus, is in those who take advantage of the illegal immigrants. Like your ancestors and mine, they are coming here to try to make a better life.

A little mercy here? A little insightfulness? A little revision of who gets punished for illegal immigration?

Nancy Kochanowski

Cedar Rapids