Jan 16, 2019 2 min read

Ball column intended to incite fear

The recent opinion column by Dave Ball (Jan. 13) is just another display of fear mongering in lock step with the president. The issue of people entering our country illegally at the southern border is complicated and one we need to address rationally and responsibly. Scare tactics are counterproductive. Ball uses many statistics to support his position that illegal immigration is costly and one can argue their validity. However, I only offer Ball to read the nonpartisan Pew Research Center November report that states “The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States was lower in 2016 than any time since 2004. This decline is due mainly to a large drop in the number of new unauthorized immigrants, especially Mexicans, coming into the country.”

Ball complains that along with illegal immigrants come drugs. Most of those drugs come through existing ports of entry and not across open borders. Perhaps he should consider that, unfortunately, people in our country have created an enormous demand for drugs and ask what the president has done to help stem this demand. He also asserts Mexico likes open borders because illegals send billions in remittances to Mexico each year. Where do these people get this money? I suspect they work, many in jobs other people don’t want.

Most egregious are Ball’s ridiculous assertions that Democrats want open borders so they can provide social welfare programs and, therefore, buy votes, and they plan to forcibly relocate large groups of illegals to various areas around the country because all these people will vote for their party. How he knows this is a miracle. These accusations are only meant to frighten and are not worthy of one who has a leadership position in a political party.

Bob Willison

Rices Landing