I recently moved to North Carolina from Texas. I'm still trying to get a feel for politics and overall thinking here. So when I saw the headline "What should immigration policy be?" it got my attention.

Front page of Q: Well, there is an elderly white male. He states that he has Scottish and Irish ancestors. He should know that his people were one of the first groups of working-class immigrants that came to America. Eventually, they became great citizens. To deal with their persecution, they huddled together in communities that reflected their heritage, customs and language.

I agree with some of the political rhetoric. English should be a primary language. If that is what you want, then don't underfund the ESL education programs.

I do want lawbreakers out, for the record. You're expecting all law enforcement and government agencies to work together? That's a pipe dream. So where do we go from here?

1. Enforce the borders, but don't put up a wall; that's a waste of time and money.

2. Give a definite time line and path to citizenship. Five years is reasonable.

3. Have an extra deduction of some reasonable amount as a sort of reparation to the government for a few years. Citizenship comes with a price.

When we go around fighting and occupying other countries in the name of humanitarian intervention, do we not continuously light that beacon that draws people here? I believe we do.

There has to be a limit, yes, but to blame it all on immigrants because they drain the coffers is just plain misguided racism (sorry, entitlement). Migrant workers are helping to keep the price of goods and services cheaper.

We were lucky enough to be born in this country. With a little work we can make it great again. It is not a liberal or conservative argument. If we can pull our heads out of the sand and make a few concessions, I believe we can fix some of the problems that are dragging us down. Don't give in to half-truths and political rhetoric. Know what you are fighting for before you speak. Look at things from a different angle. You just might be happy you did.

David Gomez

Raleigh

'One sole loyalty'

Pundits of "illegal" immigration desperately attempt to frame the debate as "all" immigration is equal immigration. This is simply not true. No matter the reason for coming illegally, one who enters a freedom-loving country of laws whose very existence is based on following the rule of law should NOT be permitted to stay. It is about maintaining freedom, order and national security. And let us not forget public health issues that turned away many "legal" immigrants who came through Ellis Island. No such safeguard exists with "illegal immigration."

I am a second-generation American whose grandparents immigrated legally through Ellis Island in the 1920s following all the rules and laws. What President Theodore Roosevelt penned exemplifies their pride in becoming citizens of the U.S:

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American. ...

"There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile. ...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

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