Gutierrez fails to serve Illinoisans

I was of the impression that Congressman Luis Gutierrez was elected by citizens in the Illinois 4th Congressional District. I was unaware that he also represents El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. I wonder if the people in the 4th District feel they are truly being represented by Mr. Gutierrez since he seems to spend the majority of his time running around the U.S. arguing for the rights of the millions who have broken U.S. law by coming here illegally.

You cannot help but feel compassion for many of the thousands of children, many parentless, who are pouring across our Southwestern borders. George Will has described them as 8-year-olds with teddy bears. Really? So far, 16 have been detained as MS-13 members, a violent Central American gang that now has over 10,000 members in the U.S. and spreads from Los Angeles to Boston. Gang graffiti is regularly found on the walls of processing centers.

These kids are also bringing in strains of highly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, dengue fever, swine flu and scabies, and we are putting them on commercial airlines and flying them around the country, apparently with little regard for others on those flights. U.S. taxpayers foot the bill for their medical care.

Mr. Gutierrez believes this is all good and would have you believe that the majority of U.S. citizens agree with him. Wrong. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 70 percent of Americans believe that people living here illegally threaten traditional U.S. customs and beliefs, and 63 percent feel they are a burden on the economy.

But these are only U.S. citizens, so what does it matter what they think? What matters, obviously, is Mr. Gutierrez's constituency in Central America.

Jim Osterhout

Palatine