Edgar Allen Beem’s recent column, “We are all illegal immigrants,” really struck a nerve with me.

There is no question that Native Americans have the right to be here and that this is truly their country, and what was done to them was beyond belief, and should never have happened. I am sorry that Beem was not available at that time to express his Christian beliefs in their aid. However, both sets of my grandparents immigrated from Italy to this country in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They followed the laws in place at the time of their immigration. They worked at their own businesses and raised their children to be self-sufficient. My grandparents learned the language and customs of this country and their sons fought in World War II. Their children and their children’s children were born here and are not illegal immigrants. While Beem may consider himself an illegal immigrant, none of my family ever was or is in that classification, along with the thousands of other immigrants who came to this country legally. Furthermore I think that it is high time that the good Christians stepped up to the plate and assisted the children that are being sent here, alone and illegally. I believe that that’s what Jesus would do.

Elizabeth Bennett Libby
Casco