Editor:

I found it ironic that in Tiara Fuller’s column (“Immigration needs to happen legally,” July 9) she mentioned that early immigrants came over to the United States to escape oppression and suffering, and yet they inflicted it on all other immigrant groups. The early immigrants were European, Caucasian and Christian. That became the portrait of an acceptable American. Since then, they have oppressed anyone who doesn’t fit that description.

They almost killed off the American Indians to expand westward, enslaved the Africans, exploited the Chinese people for the railroad, threw Japanese immigrants and Japanese U.S. citizens into interment camps and are now exploiting the Mexican people.

Tiara Fuller said the “illegal aliens want all the privileges and opportunity that America offers, but personally don’t want to contribute to society.” In reality, they contribute a lot to society. What about all the service-oriented work they do for low wages? Banks make millions of dollars each year from immigrants sending money home to Mexico! What about the apartments and homes they rent? What about all the products and services they buy that add to our economy?

Mexicans don’t come to the United States on vacation, but for work, so their families can escape poverty. Many immigrants will work very hard their whole lives and never rise above poverty because of those in power. As in the past, today those in power exploit and rob minority groups of the same resources and rewards available to the dominant group.

Brad KelstromJunior, Social Work