U.S. LAWS APPLY TO 'BAD GUYS' AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Writer Marisa Trevio asks whether illegal immigrants coming across
our border with Mexico are really the "bad guys." A timely question,
well put. But a better question is whether our "war on drugs" makes any sense.

The U.S. war on drugs actually creates an ever-lasting profit motive
for criminals, thereby making the "war" self-perpetuating. Illegal
immigrants often get caught in the crossfire between drug gangs and
the Border Patrol and local law enforcement. The Drug Enforcement
Administration targets them as potential drug runners. The war on
drugs, then, is what causes the battles along our Mexican border that
Trevio refers to.

In addition, the concern with drugs serves as a distraction from
looking for terrorists and slave traders on the nation's borders.

Gerald M. Sutliff

Castro Valley, Calif.