Letter: Root of immigration problem is employers

Wednesday, May 31, 2006 | 7:22 a.m.

The answer to illegal immigration - "turn off the employer magnet ... and focus on the reason people are crossing borders" - finally appeared in a newspaper (the Las Vegas Sun) on Memorial Day. It took T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, to make that statement and break the barrier. Party bickering and groveling to corporate deep pockets seemed to be standing in the way of enforcing present laws and institution of sensible immigration solutions.

Voters are demanding control over the intruders into our nation, not special concessions and appeasements to those who break our laws.

No one can deny that the target of the multitudes invading our borders is to acquire the "Yankee" dollar. An obvious solution to border control is to develop a workable way of interrupting their means of finding work and/or welfare benefits. They will not intrude if they have no access to our money.

Recent reports reveal the existence of at least two governmental data banks separating legal and illegal Social Security numbers. Why not make this information easily available to employers, followed by assignment of heavy sanctions on those hiring any persons not proven legal?

Declaration of bogus Social Security numbers will automatically negate any accrued or perceived "earned privileges." The felons must be those aiding and abetting illegal people.

"Guest-worker" programs already exist with unlimited visa openings in about 30 categories, covering everything from casual employees and lettuce pickers through journalists, computer pros, nurses, entertainers and athletes, to corporate managers and executives.

Richard E. Law, Las Vegas

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