Immigrants who enter our country illegally are violating several U.S. laws and doing so with apparent impunity. Many of those who seek and find employment are paid under the table, thus paying no taxes. Those who may be paying taxes often do so under the guise of falsified Social Security numbers.

Then, there are those who drive uninsured, uninspected vehicles with licenses that are being granted to them with no proof of citizenship or legal entry into our country; this is happening in Maine. Many are collecting welfare and medical care illegally, 40,000 in Massachusetts alone.

Perhaps we, as Americans, should urge our senators and representatives to approach President Bush and impel him to provide us with a list of the laws we should be allowed to ignore without fear of punishment so that we may be on equal footing with illegal immigrants. The current situation makes our rights of equality, guaranteed by the Constitution, virtually meaningless. We have constitutional rights; immigrants who are here illegally, are entitled to none.

The Democrats are lusting for votes. President Bush and the Republicans are asleep at the helm. Both parties are embracing this invasion of our sovereignty with open arms in their desperation to broaden their voter base.

We need not fear the enemy at the gates, for it is the enemy within who will devour us as we bask in the comfort of complacency.

Paul St. Jean, Lewiston