People who enter this country to study, work and live in peace and in freedom through legal rights have my ultimate respect. Those people who choose to sneak in and work illegally in the United States should try to get in this country legally rather than illegally.

Last week 11 bodies were found in a rail car outside Denison, Iowa. These four women and seven men were thought to be illegal immigrants or migrant workers to the United States from Mexico and other countries south of our border. According to federal statistics, more than 500 people died while trespassing on railroad property and 400 others were injured last year.

This is a very sad and tragic situation. What makes it even more tragic is that it was their decision to sneak in that ended their lives.

There is a fence and border patrol for a reason. Obviously these people haven’t obeyed these laws, and paid the ultimate price with their lives. They were just trying to make a better life for themselves and their family but because of this decision they are now unable to help their family in the United States or in their home country.

Don’t get me wrong — I do value human life. It is a tragedy that people had to die. It was under their own choice and their own mistake that they did die. I feel for the families that lost husbands, wives, children, etc., but they would still be alive and well with their families if they had just followed the rules and stayed where they should have.

They could come to America. They are more than welcome to come here legally. I know that it is not very easy to get in, but persistence has to pay off. If they had just gone through the proper legal process by getting a green card or a visa, they could come here and work. Did they do that? No. They chose to sneak in and failed — miserably.

This should be a lesson to those who are considering sneaking into this nation. There are too many illegal immigrants in this country today. Many of them work in jobs and carry on as if they were normal citizens, which is fine, but they should try to do it within legal means.

The INS department allows people to fill out applications for many kinds of visas and holds a lottery allowing 50,000 people to come into the United States per year through the green card lottery. These are permanent resident visas but, according to the INS Web site, there are a few requirements one must meet before allowing them to be considered for this privilege. If this person is granted permanent residence, they are allowed to bring over their spouse and any unmarried children who are under the age of 21.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

They must also come from a country with a low rate of immigration, meaning that their country has only sent over 50,000 people in the last few years.

Mexico does not fall into this category.

According to The Associated Press, thousands of people flock from Mexico to America in search for work so they can make a better life for their families. This is a valid reason for living in working and America. They just need to do it legally.

The cost of this investigation will be large. And the taxpayers will pay for it. Those who were born here and those who are living in this country legally will have their tax money paying for this investigation. Who will pay for the bodies to be sent back to their hometowns? We, the American taxpayers, will. This is just another example of how bad our border patrol systems are being monitored but I know that it is not possible for them to search every boxcar that enters the country.

I am lucky enough to have been born in this country. As the old saying goes, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Every day I thank God for allowing me to have been born in America. Some people are not as lucky as I am and I feel that if they want to live in this country they need to do it with legal means.

These deaths were unnecessary, tragic and could have been avoided.

Sarah Bolton

is a senior in English

from Glidden.