Congratulations to Russ Trenholme for coming up with the study showing that Santa Barbara is overrun with illegal alien drivers, and thanks to the Santa Barbara police for the enforcement of driving laws that help keep Santa Barbara safer. [Towed Away, 8/12/10.]

If we had a police force trained under 287 (g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act [enabling local law enforcement to perform immigration law enforcement functions] or a law like the Arizona law, these people could be immediately arrested for deportation. Based on Trenholme’s study, I have requested Rep. Lois Capps to see what she can do to get an Immigration Control and Enforcement office established in this county to expedite federal enforcement.—Ted Solomon, S.B.

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I am so glad to see something is finally coming to light about the injustice being done to our county’s immigrant workers. I personally know of four people who had their cars confiscated and impounded and held for ransom they could ill afford. When they didn’t pay up the $1,300 or more in impound fees, their cars were sold, including their tools and personal items which happened to be inside when they were taken. Even when the cars were paid for and registered legally!

I would also like our government to answer as to why immigrants are not allowed driver’s licenses. It makes no sense that we want thousands of people on the road without licenses. And tell me, how does a housecleaner get to her 15 houses per week to work—on the bus? Or the construction worker, whose site this month is out in the Montecito hills? We should be ashamed of ourselves, the way we treat hard-working residents in our beautiful city. Who do we think keeps it beautiful? Look around, Santa Barbara. Who is mowing that lawn, busing your dishes, cleaning your toilets, delivering your vegetables? Give some respect, people.

Give them back their driver’s licenses and quit stealing their cars!—Shelley Cole, S. B.

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Thank you to Nick Welsh and the Independent for helping us navigate the minefield that is political correctness. Two weeks ago in The Poodle, he helped us connect the dots that government-provided high density housing downtown will get commuters off the road, reducing tailpipe emissions, which will reduce greenhouse gases, in order to combat global warming, which is a good thing. [“Hoist by El Perro’s Petard,” 8/5/10, onevoteshy.]

However, last week, he reported that getting the cars off the road which belong to unlicensed drivers is a bad thing.

I will stick with my unenlightened common sense, which tells me that laws don’t just apply to those who follow them; that giving people houses and paying them to procreate is probably bad for the environment; and that there is traffic on the freeway because it’s the 101!—Tom Garnett, S.B.

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The last Independent I read had an article accusing the Santa Barbara police of targeting illegal aliens who don’t have drivers licenses and then impounding there cars. The police do that to anyone who doesn’t have a driver’s license. The problem with illegals driving is they don’t have a driver’s license, and they have no insurance.

Many people in this town have been in accidents only to find out that the person who caused it is here illegally, with no driver’s license and no insurance and sometimes the illegal will flee.

I understand why they come here illegally, but they should stand in line with the people who are trying to come here legally. Then they’ll have nothing to fear.—Chuck LeCompte, S.B.

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