To the editor:

Because the United States gained Mexican lands in what Mr. Bond terms “a land grab” (Public Forum, May 29), he claims that Mexican illegal immigrants have a “moral right” to U.S. citizenship. But how is it that individuals from one side of a border have a moral right to land on the other side, land which they’ve never occupied or owned? How is it that the sovereign nation of Mexico abdicated all claim to the land and recognized it as U.S. territory, yet Mexican citizens are morally justified to illegally trespass upon it?

The only Mexicans with a moral claim to that land were those living there when it became U.S. territory and who, if they didn’t sell their property and emigrate to Mexican territory, became U.S. citizens. Like it or not, that land is now part of the United States. Neither Mexico nor her citizens have any kind of claim upon it.

I wish more of my fellow citizens would argue to maintain and protect our nation’s sovereignty rather than justify and encourage its erosion. I wish our chief executive would actually perform his constitutional duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed” and enforce existing immigration laws, instead of waiting for the “reform” he wants.

How novel that would be, if Obama did his job rather than dithering about, enabling border-crashing scofflaws and schmoozing for the La Raza vote. Meanwhile, I say, Good for Arizona! She proves that at least someone takes U.S. and state sovereignty seriously.