Immigration debate has intensified as of late in Phoenix Arizona. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is regarded as the ultimate law enforcement officer when it comes to illegal immigration. This man seems to go above and beyond the call to harass and intimidate and persecute Arizona’s undocumented population. He is scorned by the likes of the ACLU and other civil rights organizations. But he is hailed as a hero by the hard right who believe that the undocumented alien is affecting the quality of life in the Phoenix area.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio likes to brag that he has been reelected five times in Maricopa County. Unfortunately there is a hard-core racist anti-immigrant faction in Arizona as well as other parts of the country that see Sheriff Arpaio as some sort of hero. I have had the opportunity to listen to
Sheriff Arpaio on several occasions on podcasts news programs and each time during interviews he is very recalcitrant, defensive and most importantly an unrepentant oppressor of undocumented aliens in Maricopa County Arizona.

My question is how much longer this will go on? As long as you have a faction of the population who sees this man is eligible for sainthood in his relentless pursuit of undocumented aliens. It appears that Mr. Arpaio has shredded the United States Constitution and thumbed his nose at federal authorities. This is being perceived by most sane people as extreme anti-immigration persecution.

I believe at some point Sheriff Arpaio will be held to account for these racial profiling type raids that he conducts on anyone looking Hispanic or appears to be undocumented. There’ve been countless reports that Sheriff Arpaio and his goon squad kicked down doors hauling off legal residents as well as some undocumented in these raids. Countless people have come forward showing that they are legal residents of Maricopa County and were unfortunate enough to be in the crosshairs of Sheriff Arpaio’s anti-immigrant posse.

At some point Sheriff Arpaio will cross the line and he will be brought to justice are held to account for his actions. Moreover, it will force the Obama administration to look at and review current immigration policy or reform. The dialogue on immigration has taken a backseat to more pressing issues like two wars the economy and health reform. I’m sure sooner or later immigration reform will be brought back to the fore. Ironically, Mr. Arapaio’s parents were both immigrants to this county! Go figure.

Hispanic Gold

Barack Obama’s selection of Janet Napolitano is a breath of fresh air to The Department of Homeland Security. She is neither an ideologue nor partisan on the issue of immigration. She is a pragmatist and realist when it comes to immigration reform.Learn Spanish!

This is particularly refreshing when we have dealt with a hard right hawkish approach to immigration. The xenophobes and extremists would have the American taxpayer fork over millions to build a brick fence between the U.S. / Mexican border. Just the sound of it is ridiculous!

Ms. Napolitano’s even handed approach will be warmly welcomed in Partisan Washington. The issue of immigration was almost mute during the election and debates. Surely the issue will surface again and probably sooner than later.

Given the tremendous support President elect Obama received from Latino’s, it’s a foregone conclusion that immigration reform will take on a kinder and gentler tone. This is a step in the right direction. Together we can come up with a practical and common sense approach to the immigration issue. This will allow us to focus on the truly big problems that confront us; namely the economy and the war in Iraq.

The following are letters sent to News Day.Com regarding the brutal murder of a young Latino at the hands of a group of white men in N.Y. Inspite of Obama’s election, we still have a ways to go in terms of tolerance.

Racial strife; on being American

What is wrong with our society when a person is killed and all a group – Hispanics Across America – can think of is filing a lawsuit against the parents of those charged? Even if those accused are guilty of this heinous crime, I am sure many parents can attest that even though we may teach our children right from wrong and instill good values, once they leave our home it is up to them to make the right choices.

These parents are suffering, and suing them is not going to bring Marcelo Lucero back or help relations in the community.

Noelle Martinez-Farley

Dan Janison’s thesis that speaking out against illegal immigration – or doing something about it – creates an environment of hate is more than ludicrous and is a transparent attempt to chill discussion and action on this important issue ["Levy's response walks a fine line," News, Nov. 13].

Fortunately, County Executive Steve Levy has the political courage and the personal integrity to do what is right even when others attempt to cow him into submission with their explicit or implicit claims of bias.

Those of us who live in Patchogue celebrate diversity and we cry alongside our Hispanic neighbors over the killing of Marcelo Lucero, but we want something other than pointing fingers.

Ronald F. LaValle

Patchogue

This brutal killing could have happened anywhere on Long Island, or anywhere in America where nonwhite immigrants reside. Only the ignorant should be surprised at such an attack. Ours is a violent culture and remains intolerant in many ways, despite the election of Barack Obama.

The vitriolic and inflammatory political rhetoric from Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, Rep. Peter King, CNN commentator Lou Dobbs and too many others sets a tone for the conversations these impressionable young men overheard at home and on television.

We can keep our heads in the sand and pretend that we just don’t see, or we can do the hard work necessary to improve relations with all our neighbors while securing our borders in a way acceptable to an educated citizenry.

Robert W. Mays

First let me say that the killing of a man because he is of any color is disgusting. There are few words that can describe the horrible act of purposely hunting innocent people. There is no excuse for those who act like animals. They should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

People are calling for more tolerance. Tolerance isn’t the answer. When you tolerate something, you really don’t like it, you just put up with it. You do not have positive feelings toward it. The answer is respect, and that goes for all parties. I can’t stomach the fact that people do not respect being American.

Both sets of my grandparents were immigrants to this country. They were so proud the day they became American citizens. It meant that they made it. They worked hard in a country that offers so many opportunities that welcomed them to come in and give it their best. But people are not respecting that about America anymore.

There were no signs or cake box ingredients translated into Italian for my grandparents and great-grandparents. They learned to speak English out of respect for America and out of pride for themselves. That meant they were an American. Yet, all of my families’ traditions are Italian. They didn’t lose anything.

Respect is what is needed. We need to respect that we have differences, but don’t let that define us. We need to respect that we may have different religious beliefs, but not close ourselves off and drive out those in our communities who don’t believe as we do.

Freedom doesn’t mean that you come to live here, take what America has to offer and then disregard her ways. We need to start respecting America’s language, respecting those who want to seize the opportunities offered by America and respect that although we are a nation made up of immigrants from different places, where we can find similarities among us, will be our strength.

Cathy Powell

Hewlett

Unions, protect brothers

Workers everywhere need to unite to protect our Latino brothers and sisters from further outrages. The slogan of the union movement is “An injury to one is an injury to all.” We should honor the memory of our fallen comrade Marcelo Lucero by organizing workers as defense guards against further racist, anti-worker violence.

Richard Bucci

Brooklyn