Mexican Consul Claims the State of Colorado Unfriendly to Illegal Immigrants

I came across this story on 9news.com and was disturbed by the comments made by Denver's Mexican Consul General Eduardo Arnal. Arnal claims that the State of Colorado has been unfriendly to the illegal immigrants. Arnal made these comments in a recent interview "What I've found is that in our communities, with few exceptions, there's a sense that the state is not friendly toward immigrants, that they don't feel welcomed and that they encounter this feeling of, 'I don't like you but I need you,". That's fine and dandy but has he taken the time to understand the concept that illegal means just that? As in they are not here legally, and therefore taking away jobs from legal citizens because they are willing to work for less. At one point in time Colorado was openly referred to as a sanctuary city until the Swift meat packing plant raids occurred. Apparently, Arnal feels that he needs to blame the disappearance of the illegal immigrants on someone, while blatantly ignoring the fact that the economy has taken a downturn.

I am not a racist, I am from a family who emigrated here from Italy, but the difference is that they came here legally. They did not show up illegally and expect that the United States assimilate to them. They learned to speak English; they did what was required to become legal citizens. There has been a great deal of controversy over the past few years of raising children to be bilingual, or to speak only one language. I wholeheartedly encourage learning more than one language, but keep in mind the official language of the United States is primarily English. It also concerning to me that we are required in many cases to provide signage and closed captioning for the Spanish speakers who do not speak English. This concerns me for the simple fact that in order to become a legal United States citizen you must be able to read and speak English. So again who should be assimilating to whom?

According to Arnal, the illegals are leaving Colorado due to the lack of people wanting them here, but it's not just Colorado. Other states are also showing a decrease in illegal immigrants due to the declining economy. Unlike lawful citizens of this country most of us do not have the option to run away when things get tough for us, instead we must stand strong and endure the conditions whatever they may be.

Personally as a native to the State of Colorado, I find these comments offensive. It is my opinion that anyone who chooses to come to this country illegally should not be welcomed with open arms and given a gift bag. We must take precautions, as here in Colorado there have been a multitude of heinous crimes committed by illegal immigrants. I am not discounting that other people who are legal citizens have committed crimes as well. I am not talking about petty crimes; I am speaking of murder, rape, robbery and several other crimes. The reason that this is a problem is because some of these offenders have been arrested or even deported several times, yet they receive a slap on the wrist and go on their way to destroy more lives. I stress the importance of enforcing the laws that are needed to keep law and order for the safety of the public.