I am writing regarding Lauren Shore’s letter to the editor, “History Repeats: Why Our Immigration Policies Must Reflect Our Jewish Values,” February 13, 2025. While it’s impossible to gauge how many of the migrant children Ms. Shore oversees have legitimate asylum claims, figures from 2019 show that just 15% of migrants were granted asylum. The vast majority of those arriving here illegally come for economic reasons and are not eligible for asylum. They are not fleeing Nazis as she implies.
According to a recent Gallup poll, 170 million adults from around the world want to immigrate to the U.S.. If you include children that number is likely closer to 400 million. Allowing that number of people into the U.S. would bankrupt the country.
Our socialistic system gives illegal immigrants benefits that were not offered in decades past. My grandparents had to be sponsored by family members who agreed to support them if they could not find work. That is not the case today.
If you look at Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data, all new jobs created in the last six years have gone to foreign-born workers. Clearly, that is a problem and goes against Jewish values. Tzedakah is to be given first to your family, next to the city you live in, and only then if there are sufficient funds can you give beyond your city.
Ms. Shore should reconsider her profession. I can guarantee her that there are many U.S.-born children who have experienced trauma of their own and need her professional assistance. Helping these U.S.-born children would better comport with Jewish values than her current position.
