In response to the April 23 letter "Leniency will make matters worse," I'd like to point out that many countries give special consideration to people living in their country illegally, if they are upstanding members of society that have committed no crimes, other than the "crime" of staying without a proper visa, and have stayed long enough to make that country their real home. By sending the Calderons home, Japan has lost two good people who have become Japanese in all but the legal sense. Kneejerk anti-immigration policies and feelings go against all the facts. Immigration, illegal or not, benefits the host country most of the time by providing a bigger labor and tax base.
rhys moses