SE Valley Times

Donna Rodgers, a Mesa resident and member of St. Timothy's parish, said it is important to follow the guidelines and requirements of immigration to protect the well being of the country. 

“I believe God wants us to love all and to treat the aliens with respect," Rodgers told SE Valley Times. "My parents were first-generation citizens of the U.S. Unless we are Native Americans, we are all descendants of immigrants."

"However, we cannot be careless or unfair,” Rodgers said. “I visited Ellis Island a few years ago and was so impressed by the system we had in place to make sure the people entering the country were not bringing in disease or were not coming in with the intention of committing nefarious acts."

My daughter-in-law comes from another country and went through the proper process to become a legal citizen. I attended her naturalization ceremony and did not realize until then that those wanting to be part of this great country must pledge allegiance to America over any allegiance they may have to their place of origin. Those who come into the country illegally are not pledging allegiance to this country as their first act is breaking the law. I wish there was a place where people from other countries could go to escape the evils of their country and then be vetted before entering this country. We could welcome with open arms those who truly would improve not only their lives but the lives of others and deny entry to those who have bad intentions. Perhaps I am not really knowledgeable about the immigration process, but why can't we build a new Ellis Island?”

At a recent campaign event, a member of the audience asked Kamala Harris, “I want to know, when you become president, would you be committing to close the immigration detention centers?”

To which Harris responded, “Absolutely, on day one. On day one.”

Harris has supported a political agenda that would allow illegal immigrants to come into the country without repercussions, impacting the economy, the workforce, housing availability, and diverting tax money away from U.S. citizens.

Immigration detention centers exist to “protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those noncitizens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws.”

Under Harris’ watch, migrant crossings have reached an all time high; with 250,000 migrants crossing the southern border in December of 2023. The previous record was 224,000 in May of 2022, also under the Biden-Harris Administration. 

Since March of 2021, people have been referring to Harris as the “border czar” after President Biden appointed her to oversee the Biden Administration’s efforts at our southern border. 

“I’ve asked her, the VP, today, because she’s the most qualified person to do it, to lead our efforts with Mexico and the northern triangle … in stemming the migration to our southern border,” stated Biden, who sat beside Kamala Harris, both wearing masks.