To the Editor:

Re “More Immigrants Face Deportation Under New Rules” (front page, Feb. 22):

To accommodate business interests, our government mostly looked the other way for decades while up to 11 million immigrants settled into jobs our citizens didn’t want. Now, to satisfy a presidential campaign promise playing to America’s worst fears, we are terrorizing these contributors to our economy and breaking up families.

Given that employers must certify worker eligibility under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, I suspect that only collusion or tacit government approval explains how we accumulated so many illegal foreign workers in the first place.

Deporting dangerous criminals is one thing, but let’s not kid ourselves about the role that most of the people being demonized fill in our society. Given that President Trump’s own businesses have needed to import help, why can’t our representatives address this issue honestly and intelligently to achieve win-win outcomes for both employers and people simply seeking a better life?

KATHLEEN CLARK

Doylestown, Pa.

To the Editor:

I am a member of the National Guard and a lawyer practicing immigration law in Minnesota. In 2013, President Obama, at the express request of the Defense Department, created a program for military families to prevent the deportation of military spouses, parents and children. This program alleviated a major source of anxiety and fear for service members and their families.