Pecora letter: Immigration
With respect to the June 8 Guest Opinion by Courtney Lennberg (representative of Mormon Women for Ethical Government) addressing “Contradictions from the Trump administration regarding immigration policy . . .”
Lennberg refers to a “reckless administration,” “haphazard labeling,” “calculated imprecision,” and “opportunistic vagueness” — all phrases that can be attributed to bipartisan wrangling of past immigration policies. Lennberg acknowledges that “a sovereign nation ought to protect its citizens from harm” and infers that law-abiding immigrants who entered the country illegally — those who have families, jobs, and pay taxes — are harmless and beneficial, having thus “proven themselves” and completed their penance for breaking the law. Still, “we the people” must maintain that laws of the United States are laws, not suggestions.
It is not the responsibility of American citizens to analyze laws and decide which ones are situationally valid case by case. It is the responsibility of American citizens to obey the laws — to institute and implement laws that move the values of the country forward — and to rescind laws that do not.
*LDS Article of Faith #12: “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.”
Renee Hawkley Pecora, Boise
This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Pecora letter: Immigration."