A recent rally in Northeastern Pennsylvania, home to the town of Hazleton that made English the official language of the town and attempted to ban illegal immigrants, recently had a rally to crack down on illegal immigrants.

Participants waved banners that read:

"If your culture is so great, go back," and "deport illegals."

One participant was quoted as saying:

“I thought I was in New York City,” he said. “It got me thinking. If (illegal immigrants) leave there, where will they go next? Nanticoke has cheap living. It’s not seen as a big problem yet, but we definitely have a small problem. I love this town and care about it too much to let that happen.”

Outraged by this misinformed crowd of ignorant ralliers, I wrote a letter to the editor of my local newspaper :

The participants in Nanicoke’s Voice of the People rally have an illusionary view of undocumented “illegal” immigration. They cite fear-mongering crime statistics that paint undocumented immigrants as ferocious criminals. When in reality these immigrants make every day life possible by mowing lawns, picking tomatoes, cleaning offices, washing dishes, etc. Still, opponents claim their entrance is illegal and that they should be punished. What kind of criminal breaks into property to scrub bathrooms, bag groceries, and mow lawns? Taken holistically, undocumented immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in government benefits. And as long as huge wage disparities continue between the U.S. and Mexico, there is going to be an influx of immigrants. The North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allows for unchecked capital to flow between the U.S. and Mexico, yet there is public outcry when eager to work people cross the border unchecked. What are the U.S.’s priorities?