On immigration laws

No nation can allow its immigration laws to be flouted.

If they enter with the assistance of smugglers, then these traffickers in human cargo should be pursued by law enforcement authorities and vigorously prosecuted.

U.S. immigration law, however, is not being applied uniformly. If refugees from Asia, South America and most of the Caribbean can convince asylum officers they face persecution if returned home, they are usually released to friends or sponsors while going through the process of formally applying for asylum and having their cases heard.

That's not the case with Haitians. The Immigration and Naturalization Service is now holding Haitian asylum seekers in detention. The policy change came after the U.S. Coast Guard last December picked up 187 refugees from a boat off Elliott Key.

The Haitians don't deserve special treatment. Nor do they deserve to be singled out for harsher treatment than people of other nationalities.

The United States must protect its borders, and it needs to commit more resources to the Coast Guard and INS in order to more effectively do so. ...

-- South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida