To the Editor:

Re “Immigrants Take to Street in Show of Strength” (front page, May 2):

The demonstrations on Monday were a breathtaking victory not just for immigrants, but for all Latinos.

The hundreds of thousands of pro-immigration demonstrators indisputably heralded the ethnic group as a political powerhouse in America.

The Latino display of nerve and determination excited the country, causing mixed amounts of cheer and chiding, depending on the viewer’s beliefs.

No one can predict with certainty the consequences of the protests. The one sure-fire conclusion is that Latinos will no longer live in the shadows and sidelines of American society.

For too long, we have recused ourselves from the national discourse on race relations and equal opportunity. Latino leaders and culture used to be peculiar to barrios. Now we have stepped into the spotlight and are not only shouting “Sí, se puede!” (“Yes, I can!”) but more important, “We are America.” Wayne Trujillo

Lakewood, Colo., May 2, 2006

To the Editor:

Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants boycotted school and work to demand their entitlement to the American Dream. Last I checked, this dream was based on the belief that in America, dedication to education and to a job are the means by which one can succeed in life.

Thank you, illegals, for giving us this insight into your values.

Nadia El-Badry

Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., May 2, 2006

To the Editor:

The message we send by offering amnesty to illegal immigrants is this: If you get here, you can stay.

John Kroll

San Diego, May 2, 2006

To the Editor:

The protests on Monday made one thing crystal-clear: the 11 million people who are in this country illegally are not going to turn around and go home.

Whether or not we should have enforced longstanding immigration laws will long be debated, but it will be just that, a debate. We cannot enforce them now.

The illegals are here to stay. They are here to stay because our lawmakers have long looked the other way in deference to the agribusiness, trucking, hospitality and other industries that employ these workers at subsistence wages.

It is now essential that our lawmakers ensure that these same industries shoulder the burden of health care, education, day care and housing for the millions of people they profitably employ.

And it should be done in a way so that the costs are not blithely tossed off to American citizens in higher taxes and higher prices.

Carol Haskill

San Francisco, May 2, 2006

To the Editor:

Re “They Are America” (editorial, May 2) :

Apparently, your position is that anyone anywhere in the world who wants to can cross our borders illegally and be entitled to citizenship.

It also appears that you oppose programs allowing Mexicans and others from Latin America to come here as guest workers and to return to their own countries at the end of a year.

If Congress took your advice and offered citizenship to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and another 11 million entered over the next 20 years to take their place, would they be entitled to citizenship as well?

Edward I. Koch

New York, May 2, 2006

To the Editor:

A sign held by a young man at the Union Square rally on Monday touched the heart of this granddaughter of immigrants: “I also hunger for the American Dream.”

Ellen D. Murphy

Brooklyn, May 2, 2006

To the Editor:

It is appalling to read that “the worst among our citizens and politicians” are those who expect our laws to be enforced (editorial, May 2).

I object to the notion that those who cross our borders illegally are somehow entitled to demand a clear path to citizenship. “Immigrant rights” cannot apply to those who have no right to be here.

It is equally wrong to assume that those waving flags of other nations are “assimilation-minded.”

Becoming a citizen of this country should not begin by breaking our laws. There is an established path that has been followed by millions who earned the right to be naturalized citizens.

It is an insult to them to expect less from others who wish to be Americans. Michael Molesworth

Tucson, May 2, 2006

To the Editor:

Your editorial, which supports the nationwide “immigrant rights” demonstrations, obfuscates the distinction that should be made between legal and illegal immigrants in this debate.

Legal immigrants today have the right to earn their citizenship. But I fail to understand how immigrants who choose to bypass the legal process and who enter this country illegally are entitled to any preferential route to citizenship or any rights afforded to legal immigrants.

To grant them any such route or rights diminishes the efforts of millions of immigrants (my parents included) who have stood in line patiently to enter this country legally and to become citizens.

To accept the attitude of entitlement that illegal immigrants are voicing in the demonstrations is repugnant.

I am pro-immigrant. I am against illegal immigration. There is a difference. Steven Hong

Los Angeles, May 2, 2006