Letter: Dependence on immigrant labor doesn’t mean laborers need be undocumented

Many of us who support immigration reform understand that farmers are dependent upon immigrant labor (“Trump faces hard sell on trade, immigration in blue Washington state,” TCH, May 27). That dependence does not mean that the laborers need be undocumented. Surely the farmers hiring illegal immigrants know exactly what they are doing, breaking the law. Even a crucial need does not make such actions legal. Let the laborers enter the country legally.

Admittedly, Mr. Trump’s call for a wall along the entire Mexican border is a little preposterous. Taken in its figurative sense it is a call for action. Fix this mess! I suggest we give every illegal alien one year to leave the country without penalty. Those who do can apply for legal entry. Those who do not leave within the required time period shall be banished from the United States for 10 years. The banishment is for life the second time caught. Prison for at least five years is the penalty the third time. Yes, it will cost money, but the U.S. needs secure borders and every citizen should demand the same.

Our leaders must not be allowed to sacrifice the integrity and well-being of the U.S. as a society and nation-state in exchange for support at the polls.

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 2:56 AM with the headline "Letter: Dependence on immigrant labor doesn’t mean laborers need be undocumented."