On Christmas Eve, I read two stories in The Oregonian/OregonLive that should alarm readers and must spark a responsible, non-violent response. One was reporter Gosia Wozniacka’s story about Hillsboro parents deported to Mexico without their 2-year-old daughter, (“Oregon couple deported, forced to leave toddler behind,” Dec. 22). The other was an op-ed on immigration by the Bloomberg Opinion Editorial Board, (“The U.S. needs to welcome immigrants, not demonize them,” Dec. 24).
These stories break the heart and bewilder the spirit. Can we insert ourselves into that family’s reality? Can we visualize our own families being so brutally disrupted?
The Bloomberg piece reminds us of these facts: “Immigrants are more likely to be in the workforce, and start businesses, than native-born Americans. They are less likely to commit crimes. Even unauthorized immigrants pay more in taxes than they get back in benefits, many of which they are ineligible to receive.”
As taxpayers, we fund this ongoing cruelty. As caring, humane individuals, we must stop it.
Bonnie McKinlay, Portland