Americans are fortunate

Like it or not, illegal immigrant workers have been helping supply fruits and vegetables to Americans for many years [“A summer bounty of worry,” page one, June 26]. Now, the need for these workers is not being met to harvest the many crops grown in our state.

The idea of having resident Americans performing the jobs of harvesting crops manually is somewhat absurd. The reason illegal immigrant workers perform these jobs is because they have very limited opportunities since they exist under the radar. Naturalized immigrant workers go on to other occupations since they can openly seek and obtain better jobs.

Let’s face the facts: We are fortunate illegal immigrant workers have been available to perform these jobs. The next time you sit down to dinner, you might want to thank illegal immigrant workers for the fruits and vegetables they have helped to put on your table.

— Randy Greger, Bothell