Immigrants applications should be expediated

Dear editor,

In regard to my good friend Rob Wood's letter to you about migrants and the declining US population (Jan. 19):
When my bilingual wife was volunteering to help the migrants at El Calvario Church in downtown Las Cruces several years ago, I learned that the cartels back then were charging $7,000 for a family of four to guide them on a 2,000-mile trek here and smuggle them in. This angered me because a family of four could fly here for less than they pay the cartels to risk kidnapping, rape and death.

I blame the U.S. government's callous elected officials, such as President Biden, Sen. Marty Heinrich and Rep. Gabe Vasquez and bureaucrat payrollers, because it would be so easy to set up a well-managed immigration policy.

American embassies and consulates could vet applicants in their countries of origin, where vetting would be much easier, and then approve a number of migrants based on reasonable quotas. Documents could be transmitted instantly via the internet.
Where are the humanitarian feelings of the elected officials and employees? Do people join the state department only to tour the world at government expense? They all need to get to work.

William Beerman

Las Cruces