Seeking opportunities

As I learned of the president's comments last week regarding people emigrating from Haiti and Africa, I am reminded of my father and the father of my wife. My dad came to this country from a poor village in Greece in 1914 with $25 in his pocket. My wife's father came to this country from Germany after World War 1. Both countries were in the throes of poverty, and coming to America was an opportunity for a better life.

Their stories are not unique. Between 1892-1954, Ellis Island alone welcomed 12 million immigrants to our shores, and all these people were asking for was a chance for a better life for themselves and their families. Today, most of our new arrivals do not come from Europe, but from Latin America, Africa and Asia. But as I see it, don't these people deserve the opportunity to try and succeed in this country, as many of them are leaving for the same reasons as my father and the father of my wife?

President Kennedy once wrote that we are a nation of immigrants, and without them, our country will not continue to grow and flourish. Some have argued that immigrants take away jobs from Americans, but that has been proven not to be true, and we know that immigrants have created new businesses at twice the rate of native born Americans, thus creating jobs for all Americans.

I would have hoped that this current president would have been a man of hope and compassion, and a man learned of his country's history, but unfortunately, he has proven that he is not. Let us hope that the people of the United States prove to be wiser than the president of this country.

Dean Starr

Libertyville