ACLU opinion is completely wrong
In (“75 percent jump in immigration arrests in Ga.,” News, May 19), the AJC quotes Omar Jadwat, of the American Civil Liberties Union, who moans that illegal aliens have committed no crime and their arrests are “cause for shame, not celebration.” This opinion is grossly misleading, and shame on the AJC for not explaining it.
One cannot survive in the U.S. without a legal identity. Illegal aliens forge documents, steal identities, commit perjury and a host of other felonies to preserve their illegal status. They hurt those who pay millions of dollars in taxes for benefits to those who are not entitled, and often create personal victims whose identities are stolen, and worse. Hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants wait years for their opportunity to live permanently in this country. Maybe the ACLU and the AJC no longer consider fraud and misrepresentation as criminal acts.
BERWICK BABIN, DOUGLASVILLE
We must curb climate change now
The article “U.S. forests shifting with climate change,” News, May 18, offers evidence of the effects of climate change right here at home.
This recently completed study, based on three decades of forest data and 86 tree species, shows that, as the Southeastern is generally drying, U.S. trees have shifted more than 25 miles west and 20 miles north to follow the wetter and cooler conditions they need.
As a longtime Atlanta resident, I have seen first hand the extreme weather predicted by science as a consequence of climate change. Recent flooding, drought and wildfires near the Georgia /Florida line are all expensive for cities to deal with and only promise to get worse. It is imperative that we take some serious steps to curb climate change.
EMILY HIRN, ATLANTA
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