Immigration and homosexuality are issues discussed this week in the Readers Forum.

Immigration
Calls for amnesty and more importation of foreign workers will cause more suffering to the Catholic American worker. The best way for the Church to help those suffering is to advocate border security and enforcement of our immigration laws.

I support "Attrition through Enforcement," which requires border and port security first. It calls on vigorous enforcement of laws against those modern day slave masters who traffic in hiring those here illegally. It requires all businesses to use E-Verify. Local and State agencies should use Title 8-287G cross training to identify and deport those criminal aliens in our local jails and prisons.

It calls for an end to government services and welfare for those who violate America's laws. If President Obama actively supports "Attrition through Enforcement," those here illegally would return to their countries of origin on their own, lessening the need for deportation.

President Obama has said he will secure the border. He voted for the 700 Mile Border Fence in the secure fence act of 2006. He supported the enforcement provisions of McCain-Kennedy. His new top cop for Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano has supported strong border security in the past.

While as Governor of Arizona, she signed the toughest worksite enforcement law in the nation which required private company's to use "E-verify." She strong supported returning thousands of National Guard troops to the border to assist the Border Patrol. Napolitano worked hand in hand with Sheriff Joe Arpaio to identify and deport criminal aliens from Arizona's jails and prisons.
Thomas Marchetti

Glendora
Again, The Tidings (Jan. 16) expands on the need of immigration reform taking a partial position on this issue as done in the past. Although most of us agree in principle on the urgent need of reform, many of us disagree with some of the proposals suggested by the U.S. Bishops, who seldom use the term "illegal immigration."

At the Jan. 12 meeting of President-elect Obama and Mexico's President Calderon, the latter emphasized the need for creating jobs in Mexico for low-skilled workers. This is good rhetoric in principle, but the reality is that according to the Homeland Security website, a daily average of people of about 3,500 cross U.S. borders illegally, mostly from Mexico.

The website also mentions a yearly outflow of several billion dollars sent abroad by foreign U.S. residents, legal and illegal, mainly to Mexico. I do not honestly think that the economic and political Mexican machine is going to genuinely be interested in stopping illegal immigration to the U.S. based on these reports.

It is ironic that the dramatization of a broken family across the border wall portrayed on the Jan. 16 cover involved a person who obviously violated U.S. law. I hope that President Obama, will follow the comprehensive reform proposed by this outgoing administration, and that the years-long backlog of people patiently waiting to enter the country legally will be fairly and seriously contemplated as a priority.
Norberto (Bert) Pautassi
Whittier

Homosexuality
In response to Rob Larsen's Reader's Forum letter of Dec. 26, I propose that the point at which one accepts Biblical moral principles is when those principles don't cause a segment of people to experience such self-loathing and shame that even the good that they do doesn't seem to salvage their sense of humanity.

I speak from my own experience as a homosexual in a 13-year relationship. You say I am "outside of God's moral order," but there is much that I do that proceeds from my faith such as charitable giving, weekly Mass, parish involvement, the daily Office, respect for the environment, human rights and justice work, volunteer services and I could go on.

So, Mr. Larsen, which part of my will is not conforming to God's? Ninety-nine percent of me is good, but that one percent is all you moralists care about.

I cannot stop doing the above any more than I can stop being homosexual, yet I am growing so tired of feeling like the proverbial doormat.
David J. Simmons
Reseda