We must rethink the immigrant issue

The cruel scenes we see each day on TV of dark-skinned people being zip tied, dragged off to a compound and never seen again are changing attitudes on immigrants.

Recent polling data indicates a significant shift toward more positive views on immigrants. A record high of 79% of U.S. adults now consider immigration a good thing for the country. The percentage of Americans who want to see immigration levels decreased has dropped 25% recently. Incredibly, a major fear driving resentment of immigrants is that they are replacing whites (the white replacement theory).

Arresting parents of young children, the elderly and working men is cruel and unnecessary. Voters wanted change not cruelty.

The cost to remove 13 million immigrants over 10 years will be astounding per the Cato Institute. The president and his minions made it sound easy, but the truth is that finding, arresting, detaining and legally processing that many people will be very costly to taxpayers. Per the American Immigration Council, the total cost will be almost 1 trillion dollars and will take 10 years. Do the math. Each person removed will cost $98 thousand dollars. Did the president tell us? Did the Congress know? No wonder there is little money left for maintaining affordable health care and Medicaid.

We were also led to believe that violent crime from immigrants is rampant. Recent research shows that crime in areas of high immigrant populations is no higher than those with low immigrant populations.

When I observe people in my community who are likely immigrants, I see them working, building homes, roofing and mowing lawns. We have all seen the exhausted and desperate families reaching our borders because they will do anything for a better life. It is time to rethink the whole immigrant issue.

Randy Parmec

Huntley