I feel a response is necessary to a recent article about cheap, illegal immigrant labor.

The “cheap labor” mentioned does not exist, except for the illegal employer. We, the taxpayers, are picking up the rest of the costs to provide the workers housing, food, medical care, education for their children, etc. In California this cost is over $10 billion every year. Is it any surprise that this is about the same as our budget deficit?

The population boom in Mexico, which was described in the story as being “like a revolution that no country could digest,” has not stopped; it has moved to our United States.

Taxpayers are paying for over 100,000 births to illegal alien women in California every year. When you consider the prenatal and continuing medical expense, housing, food education, etc., for each of these children, it becomes obvious to me that we cannot continue the course we’re on. I’m sure the other states are experiencing the same problems we have in California.

Let’s not forget what we’re talking about is illegal immigration. The word here is illegal. Our country continues to allow more legal immigration than all other countries combined. We have no need for illegal alien workers, even at peak harvest time.

Our representatives, local city and county, state and federal officials are enabling this illegal immigration to continue and to increase. It needs to stop. Enforce the law, prosecute and deport offenders.

D.A. Patrick
Yuba City