A Personal Letter Regarding Immigration

I wrote this letter to Congressman Frank Wolf after my Dad's motorcycle accident this past summer:

July 14, 2009




Dear Congressman Wolf,

It is with great respect for you and a belief in the importance of communication between constituent and representative that I have written in the past. I write to you now in regard to an issue that is important to me, but has recently become very personal. The issue to which I wish to draw your attention is our lack of a commonsense immigration policy.

Last Tuesday, July 7, my Father was commuting to work on his motorcycle when an automobile crossed in front causing him to strike the car. The impact of the collision threw him violently off his motorcycle. The driver, unhurt from the accident, left her vehicle and fled. My Father lay in the street unconscious with a broken wrist, broken pelvis, several fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. The fugitive – I use that term because as I write this letter she is still actively evading authorities – is an undocumented migrant worker.

I believe there are at least two important things to take away from this incident: one, there will be little to no recourse for my family to hold the driver of the car accountable for her actions; and two, her legal status most likely encouraged if not caused her decision to flee the scene of the accident putting my Father’s life in danger.

To the first item: the driver of the car most likely has no driver’s license, no automobile insurance and no legal assets; I don’t see how it can be any other way given that she is, for all intents and purposes, a ghost. My family cannot sue her for damages because she has no legal identity. It would be a waste of our time. My Father has health insurance and motorcycle insurance, which will help to cover many of the costs. Unfortunately the insurance companies will most likely raise his premiums to recover those costs. He should not be responsible for paying the price for an accident for which someone else is responsible. In this circumstance, however, he has no choice, but to assume responsibility.

To the second item: the costs to an illegal alien of being caught and deported are great. The surest path to deportation is participating in our legal system. Therefore, illegal aliens have every incentive to avoid law enforcement in favor of extralegal measures. I have no doubt given the severity of the accident that the woman responsible fled because she feared not fleeing would put her at risk. It is an indictment of our immigration policy that someone would choose not to remain at the scene of an accident and help because they were concerned about their legal status.

Our government needs to resolve the immigration crisis sooner than later because the costs of the stalemate are rising. I would appreciate any effort on your part to encourage the immigration debate to move forward toward resolution because until then citizens and legal residents will continue to bear the burden.

Your humble constituent,

Michael