With their raid on Monday against workers for an Anne Arundel County painting contractor and their families, federal immigration officials (and in this case, county law enforcement officers) continue to target the least powerful and most vulnerable among the many businesses, families and individuals who are being gravely disserved by our country's failed immigration system ("Advocates rally after raid, arrests," July 2).
In this 21st century, in which people, ideas, commerce and information will continue to flow more and more freely across borders and around our shrinking globe, our federal system charged with regulating the all-important flow of people has broken down.
But instead of addressing this breakdown through the legislative and administrative system, the Bush administration has chosen to commit its considerable resources to a high-profile enforcement strategy that directly targets workers.
This strategy may perhaps mollify a certain political base, but it is otherwise manifestly ineffective in addressing the issue of undocumented immigration.
Raids result in a few thousand arrests a year - out of an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids terrorize and tear apart families and communities of hardworking people. But despite their high human cost, they do nothing to solve the very real crisis in our immigration system.
Maureen A. Sweeney, Baltimore
The writer teaches in the immigration clinic at the University of Maryland School of Law.
The illegal aliens in Anne Arundel County got what they deserved. At last, government has done something right, and County Executive John R. Leopold should be applauded, not condemned.
It's high time we kick all the 12 million illegal aliens out of the United States.
It's our country, not theirs, and it's time to take it back.
Blaine Taylor, Towson
Slavery is illegal in this country, yet something like slavery continues, albeit in another form, as illegal immigrants work here for wages substantially below those that would be paid to legal citizens.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office should be commended for doing its job in Anne Arundel County.
Richard L. Lelonek, Baltimore
In the name of national security, the Department of Homeland Security has adopted practices that routinely violate the basic rights of people in this country, particularly immigrants.
