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• Open Letter

Dear valley residents,

As you can see the U.S is experiencing racial discriminatory laws that aimed toward Mexicans, Latinos and illegal immigrants around the U.S. The period of the civic right movement ended in 1968 but here we are in the year 2006 and experiencing discrimination against Latinos, Hispanic and illegal immigrants. Firstly, the history between Latino Americans and Anglo Americans began in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which formally ended the Mexican-American War. Before this conflict, Mexico owned four provinces: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Both California and Texas provinces with large Anglo population rebelled against Mexico, this cause the border dispute. In 1848 the United States attacked Mexico capturing Mexico City. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave Mexicans the right to remain in the United States or to withdraw to Mexico in two years; however Mexicans lost their land because the burden of proof of ownership fell on Mexican landholders. (Doman Lum 2004)  Secondly, an immigrant reform is the best way to deal with the overflow in the U.S. maybe the U.S. can take Spain as an example. Spain has enacted a policy for illegal immigrants in 2005. That will be opening its borders for workers from all EU countries in spring 2006. Therefore, an EU national will not need a work permit to work in Spain, you can enter the country as a tourist and register with the Spanish national employment office to look for a job, then after 90 days of employment, you can have an extension, after those 90 days you can apply for a residence permit. (Immigration in Spain) Re-enacting the Kennedy-McCain bill is another option.

Finally, the U.S have been seen by our migrant people as the state of freedom and justice, we are here to work and to provide a better future for our families, not to be judge as criminals or to take jobs away. Let me ask you a question, "what would you do if your state doesn’t offer a permanent job or the job pays $5 dollars a day?" If your children have nothing to eat and are not able to attend school because of the money, and the only option is to go to another state, would you stay at your home country and have nothing to eat or leave your country behind and look for better opportunities?" "You don't know a persons life, until you have walked on their shoes."