A chara, – I cannot understand The Irish Times's use of quotation marks in the headline to describe illegal immigration in America ("US authorities arrest hundreds of 'illegal' immigrants", World News, February 13th). I also question the use of the term "undocumented immigrants" in the article.
The use of the term "undocumented immigrant" and putting the word "illegal" in quotes are widely understood as a code in the United States used by those favouring some form of amnesty for those currently living illegally in the United States, as it implies a right to remain. It is not objective journalism. In using these terms, The Irish Times has taken sides. Because there is no honesty in the debate in the United States, it is essential that journalists get it right and report objectively.
As an American of Irish background, I am often accosted in the pubs by people saying that President Trump will round up the Irish in the US and send them back.
But as someone who voted for Mr Trump almost exclusively on the basis of his position on immigration, both legal and illegal, I have limited sympathy. I live in a country that I no longer recognise due to historically high levels of legal and illegal immigration, almost all of which has come from the third world since the 1960s or so. Any remaining illegal Irish are statistically insignificant.
Your article was also misleading in that the discussion of the deportation of Mexican Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos was incomplete. Ms Garcia de Rayos had been ordered deported in May 2013, so her return to her homeland was hardly summary. That she was not deported at that time but permitted to stay in the United States and report periodically shows the insanity of the system under Barack Obama, whose sympathy toward illegal immigrants was huge. Although she is a convicted felon, the radical left argues, incredibly, that she did nothing wrong other than try to make a better life for herself in the United States. Incredibly, the radical left refers to Ms. Garcia de Rayos as “honest” and “law-abiding,” though she is neither, and wants everyone to “understand” that even felons have the right to remain illegally in the United States so as not to separate families.
But I doubt her family will be separated for long. It is only a matter of time before Ms Garcia de Rayos, sponsored by the radical left, returns to Arizona and dares the United States to deport her again. Once this happens, it will clearly show that the immigration system is completely broken and can only be salvaged with tough, even extreme measures. This is exactly why I voted for Donald Trump. – Is mise,
MICHAEL G BRAUTIGAM,
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.