Letter to the Editor

April 28, 2006

Re: "Immigration Forum Gets Intense," April 24

Activist Ted Hayes is right. illegal immigration has lowered wages and pushed African Americans out of the building trades and service jobs that were our opportunity to have the American dream. Illegal immigration has also strained education and healthcare services in distressed communities, disproportionally affecting African Americans.

The illegal immigration agenda is not a civil rights movement. The civil rights movement called for dignity and opportunity for all Americans. African American soldiers died for this country when they were not able to get the benefit at home of full citizenship. African Americans are first and foremost Americans — we are not going back to any other country; our home is here. African Americans have given their hearts and souls to this country — that is what makes you a citizen.

THEODORE J. SMITH III

Chair, African American Caucus

California Democratic Party

Los Angeles

The Mexican Civil Rights Struggle

Are Mexicans protesting the right government?

Q. Do Mexican citizens deserve a homeland they don't feel the need to abandon?

Q. Does protesting America put more or less pressure on the Mexican government to reform?

Q. Is any American politician demanding reform in Mexico?

Q. Is Felipe Calderon committed to building a nation worth fighting for and living in?

Q. Are politicians missing the point by framing Illegal Immigration as an "American" problem?

Q. Is Mexico worth fighting for?

The time has come for Mexican citizens to stand up and fight for their home country.
Not abandon it.