Earline Byers is a delightful columnist and I often enjoy her musings about issues of interest to our community.

Unfortunately I cannot say that about her June 4 article on immigration, because what she has written is misleading in one case and in another case gives the reader a false impression.

First, of the Arizona immigration law she writes that it "authorizes massive (emphasis mine) punishment for illegal immigrants, provoking people throughout the country." It would have been helpful for her to tell us what this 'massive' punishment is. What exactly makes the punishment 'massive?' Large fines? Long jail terms?

As a contrast, being illegal in Mexico is a felony; here it is a misdemeanor. The fact is that this law codifies into state law existing federal law.

Arizona has done this out of frustration because our federal government is failing to enforce it own laws for protecting its citizenry against the several negative social impacts of illegal immigration, which Arizonans are experiencing in spades. Maybe we should ask them why a large majority of them support the law.

Second, she quotes Vietnamese citizen Lee's view. This quote can easily lead the reader to a false conclusion that the Arizona law leads to racial profiling. On the contrary, it contains careful, specific language to guard against this. A person cannot be asked about legal immigration documentation unless they have already been stopped by police for another illegal act.

Why should we not do what other nations do to protect the integrity of their borders and the welfare of their citizens?

Don Peter
Des Moines