Immigrants’ Deaths in Lompoc Accident

Re “From Work’s Noble Calling, a Tragic End,” Sept. 22: Eleven deaths in the Lompoc auto accident are tragic indeed. The conditions that led the 12 illegal immigrants from Mexico to be in one of the involved vehicles are beyond tragic. They were living a subsistence life, a thousand-plus miles from home, barely able to earn enough money to keep ends together, in spite of long days racing north to Lompoc to buy corn for street sales.

It is time to reverse the flow of immigration. We have engineers, builders, plumbers, electricians, teachers and social planners out of work who could be working to upgrade the living conditions of people still living in the Dark Ages in Mexico. It is a disgrace that communities just south of our border should exist in such abysmal squalor. Surely the leadership of the Mexican American community can find the resources to rally an army of American expertise and financial resources to rescue communities such as Acatzingo.

Mexico is a nation of great natural resources and tremendous history and cultural heritage. Surely it is past time that this nation on our southern border be lifted out of the Third World in which most of its population resides.

GLORIA J. RICHARDS

Simi Valley

* The featured front-page story certainly got a lot of attention. Trials and tribulations and tragedies are happening everywhere, every day. So why did The Times devote so much space to this particular story? Part of the “calling” of the people in this article consisted of breaking at least two laws: illegally entering this country and using cocaine.

Maybe somebody thinks these people were noble because they were trying to provide for their families. Well, there are millions of people all over the world who do deserve to be called “noble”--people who are taking care of their responsibilities and managing to do so without breaking any laws.

The Times is apparently continuing its mission of kowtowing to and aggrandizing Mexicans while paying little attention to the citizens and laws of the U.S.

DORIANE LEE PARKER

Van Nuys

* Re “Deadline Poses Dilemma for Illegal Aliens,” Sept. 24: Anyone who comes here illegally should never be eligible for a green card. Not ever.

Rewarding illegal behavior is akin to freeing a murderer who killed his parents and then pleads for mercy because he’s an orphan.

CAROL DeLIS

Glendale