the beginning. It will take enormousnincrease in INS and Border Patrolnpersonnel to get this under control.nWe won’t get it.nAnd lots of luck to all of us.nWayne LuttonnReplies:n—Barbara McCarthynSan Diego, CAnContrary to the view implied by Mr.nSeller’s selective quotation, Jeffersonnand other Founding Fathers did notnendorse unlimited immigration. Duringnthe Revolution, the ContinentalnCongress established the policy of notnemploying any but native born citizensnin the foreign service of the country.nOn July 24, 1778, Washington wrotento Gouverneur Morris, “I do mostndevoutly wish that we had not a singlenforeigner amongst us, except the Marquisnde Lafayette.” Concerning immigration.nPresident Washington wrotento John Adams, November 17, 1794,n”My opinion with respect to immigrationnis, that except of useful mechanicsnand some particular description ofnmen and professions there is no use ofnencouragement.” In a letter to SirnJohn St. Clair he wrote, “I have nonintention to invite immigrants, even ifnthere are no restrictive acts against it. Inam opposed to it altogether.” Then, inna letter to Patrick Henry, October 9,n1795, he declared, “In a word, I wantnan American character, that the powersnof Europe may be convinced thatnwe act for ourselves and not for others.nThis, in my judgment, is the only waynto be respected abroad and happy atnhome.”nJohn Adams held similar views.nWriting to Christopher Gadsden, henobserved, “Foreign meddlers, as younproperly denominate them, have anstrange, a mysterious influence in thisncountry. Is there no pride in Americannbosoms? . . . Americans will find thatntheir own experience will coincidenwith the experience of all other nations,nand foreigners must be receivednwith caution.”nJefferson was opposed to immigrationnand asserted the right of the statesnto prohibit and regulate it (cf Notes onnVirginia, 1782). On one occasion henwrote, “I hope we may find somenmeans in the future of shielding ourselvesnfrom foreign influence —npolitical, commercial, or in whatevernform attempted. I can scarcely withholdnmyself from joining in the wish ofnSilas Dean, that there were an oceannof fire between this and the old world!”nMr. Seller paints me an enthusiasticnsupporter of the 1986 ImmigrationnReform & Control Act. Nothing Inwrote in my article in Chronicles or innvarious other writings, such as in NationalnReview, would suggest that. Indeed,nI have often expressed seriousnreservations about the Act, especiallynwith regard for the provision of amnestynfor illegal aliens who have thus farnmanaged to evade detection and deportation.nMr. Seller expresses anguishnover having been required tonprovide some sort of evidence that henis a citizen or legal alien entitled tonwork here. Yet, the INS Form 9 is lessninquisitive than applications for VISAnor American Express credit cards andncertainly involves less danger of encounteringnpolice state actions thannone faces from other agencies of thenfederal bureaucracy, which are seldomnthe subject of protesting editorials inn”conservative” newspapers.nIllegal aliens are not “cheap” labor.nWhat various agriculture interestsnhave been able to do for years is passnthe real costs on to the rest of us. Whatnour country does not need more of arenunskilled and low-skilled workers, asnan article, “The Great Jobs Mismatch”n(U.S. News & World Report, Septembern7, 1987, pp. 42-43), points out.nWe already have hundreds of thousandsnof home-grown marginally employable,nand supporters of promiscuousnimmigration policies have nevernexplained how a nation that has somensix to eight million unemployed cannbe benefited by the in-migration ofnpeople looking for jobs. If it is objectednthat some of our own unemployed arenunwilling to pick California grapes,nMr. Seller is merely defining anothernproblem—that of matching people tonthe work that needs doing.nSeller urges that I read JuliannSimon, the University of Marylandnbusiness professor who, for some reason,nhas long been a favorite of thenHeritage Foundation. I have long beennfamiliar with his work. Any readersnwho might be misled into thinkingnthat Simon’s views on immigration arennnbased on sound research and analysisnare invited to read my review of Simon’sntract. How Do Immigrants AffectnUs Economically? in National Reviewn(March 14, 1986, pp. 52-54).nReports published in the San DiegonUnion and S.D. Tribune revealed whynvarious public officials are calling fornthe creation of a concrete barrier alongnthe border near Otay Mesa: Smugglersncarrying aliens and drugs have beennroutinely plowing across the border innlarge vans. Securing our nation’s bordersnis a prime responsibility of government,neven if questions of sovereigntynare of littie import to Mr. Seller.nNowhere have I called for a totalnban on new immigration. But hownmany immigrants are needed to securenfresh infusions of new ideas? A thousandnper year? Ten thousand? Probablynno more. And what type of immigrantsnwould best enrich our nation? Thenunskilled and low skilled? No. Wenshould welcome the talented andnhighly trained.nIn his essay Sentiment or Survival:nCrisis in the Immigration Policy of thenUnited States, M.E. Bradford writes,n”For the first law of every society, evennthe condition of its gestures of generosity,nis that it puts the need of its ownnmembers ahead of the needs of outsiders.nSuch an order of priorities is partnof what we mean by the ‘social eontract.'”nI am continually amazed thatn”conservatives” who want us to spendnbillions of dollars on the StrategicnDefense Initiative and endorse the deploymentnof our fleet to secure thenMiddle East oil supply of Europe andnJapan do not feel that securing ournown borders against what amountsnto a foreign invasion likewise meritsnsupport.nWhile we wait for Mr. Seiler tonwrite his book on immigration, readersnare invited to read one I coauthorednwith Palmer Stacy, administrative assistantnto the late U.S. Senator JohnnEast, The Immigration Time Bomb (pbn$3 from The American ImmigrationnControl Foundation, Water Street,nP.O. Box 525, Monterey, Virginian24465). AICF has published a numbernof important monographs on variousnaspects of our immigration problem,nincluding the above mentioned worknby Bradford. They will be pleased tonsend anyone so requesting a currentnnewsletter and publication list.nNOVEMBER 1987 I 59n